News Articles Archives

Aug 18, 2014Welcome to the DC Labor Archive Site!
Union City Archives - all articles and photos published in Union City from 2005 through July 2014, searchable by keyword
Photo Albums: 2008-July 2014 Bowling for Gold team photos, Evening with Labor albums, Golf Tournament team
photos, etc.
Council Minutes...
more...

Aug 4, 2014Landmark Union Building's New Life
IBEW Local 26
features the new Marriott Marquis on the cover of the most recent edition of
the local’s quarterly publication. Union-built and now staffed by union
members, the Marquis incorporates the former headquarters of the AFL, a
historic building at the corner of 9 th ...
more...

Aug 1, 2014DC Judges Find Justice in Joining Union
After a two-year
battle, DC judges finally got justice Thursday when they voted overwhelmingly to
join the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE).
“This has been a long time in coming,” said administrative law judge Jesse
Goode. “Sometimes the wheels...
more...

Aug 1, 2014MontCo Taxi Drivers To Join National Taxi Workers Alliance
The newly-formed Montgomery County Professional Drivers
Union (MCPDU) on
Thursday received an Organizing Charter from the National
Taxi Workers Alliance (NTWA). “You’ve taken a city where drivers have been
invisible” and exposed their exploitation, said NTWA President...
more...

Aug 1, 2014Smithfield Distribution Center Workers Vote in Union
Some 56 workers at the Smithfield Distribution Center in
Newport News, Virginia voted to unionize on July 23. "It’s a great honor
and privilege to welcome the Smithfield Distribution Center workers to the
Local 400 family,” said UFCW Local 400 President Mark Federici. “They are a...
more...

Aug 1, 2014Solidarity Center Report: World Day Against Human Trafficking
Over the decades, tens of thousands of Haitians have been trafficked to the
Dominican Republic to toil as sugarcane harvesters and domestic workers. Now,
the Dominican government is making it difficult for their children and
grandchildren to gain citizenship—even though the Dominican...
more...

Aug 1, 2014Met Postpones Lockout 72 Hours
The Metropolitan
Opera postponed a threatened lockout late on Thursday
night, saying that it had done so at the request of a federal mediator who was
brought in at the 11th hour to try to salvage its contract negotiations with
the unions representing its orchestra and...
more...

Jul 30, 2014Putting DC JWJ On The Map
DC Jobs with Justice is
now literally on the map. Click here to see a map – and contact info -- of the
members of the labor-community organization’s coalition. Founded in 2001, the
coalition of labor organizations, community groups, faith-based organizations,
and student groups is...
more...

Jul 30, 2014Local Unions Keep Eye on Possible NYC Lock-Out
DC-area
unions are keeping a close eye on negotiations at the Metropolitan Opera
in New York City, where general manager Peter Gelb is threatening to lock out
workers when contracts covering some 15 unions expire on Thursday. With many
international unions affected, a lockout is...
more...

Jul 29, 2014Labor Photo: Silvery Line
Members of Iron Workers Local 5 working on the Silver Line’s elevated platforms earlier this year with members of Operating Engineers Local 77 operating the heavy equipment, “moving the dirt, drilling the caissons and making the picks to complete a successful project," says Local 77...
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Jul 28, 2014Iron 5's Martin Appointed to Safety Group
endall Martin, Business Manager of Iron Workers Local 5, has been appointed to
the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) A10 Accredited Standards
Committee (ASC) for Construction and Demolition Operations by Iron Workers
President Walter Wise. ANSI oversees and administers the...
more...

Jul 28, 2014Metro Council Golf Tourney Registration Opens
Registration has opened for this year’s Metro Washington Council/Community
Services Agency Golf Tournament, scheduled for September 22. Click here to
download the registration form. The tournament is a fundraiser for CSA’s
Emergency Assistance Fund. “Every dollar is so needed these...
more...

Jul 28, 2014Celebrating Labor's Role in New Metro Silver Line
When Metro’s
Silver Line officially opened in Northern Virginia on Saturday, local labor
celebrated its role in the massive transportation project. “What a thrill to be
part of the grand opening of this project that was partly built with union
labor, will be operated union, and...
more...

Jul 25, 2014Hotel Workers Call on Trump to Hire DC Residents
Inside, billionaire Donald Trump wielded a golden shovel, outside, the workers leafleted. Hired security officers barred hotel workers and the general public from attending or viewing the groundbreaking ceremony
on Wednesday for the Trump International at the Old Post Office Pavilion on...
more...

Jul 25, 2014Job Training Program Helps DC Residents Land Green Jobs
Three recent graduates from CSA’s Building Futures Construction Pre-Apprenticeship Program were honored at a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday for a new green roof at DC
Water’s Fort Reno Reservoir in Northwest DC. Following graduation from Building Futures, staff got Leon Green,...
more...

Jul 25, 2014Streetheat: Two Days, Three Actions
Today, 3p: Rally to Protect Central American Children (White House, 16th and Pennsylvania Ave, NW); On Friday afternoon, the Presidents of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras will be meeting with President Obama and Vice-President Biden to discuss the dire situation facing refugee...
more...

Jul 23, 2014IUOE 99's Murphy Injured
Operating Engineers
99 Business Manager Mike Murphy and his wife Helen were hospitalized over the
weekend with serious but not life-threatening injuries after a motorcycle
accident on Saturday . “Please join me in keeping Mike and Helen in our
thoughts and prayers,” said Metro...
more...

Jul 23, 2014Transit Workers Charge WMATA Chair With Conflict of Interest
Hundreds
of ATU Local 689 transit workers called
out WMATA Board Chair Tom Downs at an early-morning rally outside WMATA for
Downs’ dual role as chair of a private transit company, Veolia, which the ATU
says “has a reputation for wrecking transit service in American cities.”...
more...

Jul 21, 2014AFSCME Says Organizing is Answer to Attacks
Despite all the attacks on public sector
workers this year, AFSCME nearly doubled its goal of helping 50,000 people join
the union, with more than 90,000
workers choosing AFSCME so far in 2014, AFSCME President Lee Saunders announced
at the union’s international convention in Chicago...
more...

Jul 21, 2014"Memorable" Night at the Nats
The excited father with his son and daughter blended
right into the sea of red-clad fans at Nationals Park Friday night. Until
Secretary of Labor Tom Perez walked out onto the mound and fired the ceremonial
first pitch of the 8th annual Labor Night at the Nats. But even as he
realized a...
more...

Jul 18, 2014Register Now for Fall Union Skills Training
Registration for the Fall session of the Bonnie Ladin Union Skills Training Program is now open to
union members and community allies. The program is designed for union leaders,
staff and community activists and offers hands-on training around the areas of
union administration; collective...
more...

Jul 18, 2014Solidarity Center Report: Two Reports on Africa
Just in time for the White House’s 2014 Africa Summit (Aug. 4-6), the Solidarity Center has
released two key reports on African working people and their unions. In “ African
Trade Unions and Africa’s Future ,” union leaders from a broad
spectrum of sub-Saharan African countries...
more...

Jul 18, 2014More Union Eats in DC
Dozens of union-staffed cafeterias and cafes at area museums, universities and
government buildings have just been added to the online DC Labor Map, which now
has more than 50 area union dining establishments; click here to check them out .
more...

Jul 16, 2014DC City Council Passes Wage Theft & Ban the Box Bills
DC
workers won two victories Monday at the DC City Council with the passage of
both the Wage Theft Prevention Act and Ban the Box bill. “Wage theft in particular
has been a focus for this coalition for years and years, so it's amazing to see
this day finally come,” said Ari Schwartz of...
more...

Jul 16, 2014Staples' Announcement a 'Ruse,' Says APWU
Monday’s announcement by Staples
that it’s terminating its no-bid deal with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and
replacing it with an “approved shipper” program, “is a ruse,” says American
Postal Workers Union ( APWU ) President Mark
Dimondstein. “Staples and the USPS...
more...

Jul 16, 2014Shoppers Food & Pharmacy Contract Extended
UFCW Local 400's contract with Shoppers Food & Pharmacy has been extended "Due to very complex issues related to health and welfare and pension," Local 400 president Mark Federici told members on July 11. "All terms and conditions of your union contract remain in full force and effect" during...
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Jul 13, 2014New Contract Wins Hefty Raises for Low-Paid Johns Hopkins Workers
Some 2,000 low-paid workers –
janitors, maintenance workers and technical workers – at one of the nation's
leading university hospital systems, Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, will be in
line for hefty raises under a new contract reached July 8. Workers overwhelmingly approved the...
more...

Jul 10, 2014Labor On The Move: New Staffers at ATU 689
ATU Local 689 has just added two new staffers. Katie
Traber (left) is the new Assistant to the
President and David Stephen (right) is the union’s new Communications Coordinator. Traber hails from Bridgeport,Connecticut, while...
more...

Jul 10, 2014Former WTU 6 Leader Bill Simons Publishes Memoir
Bill Simons’ memoir of the struggles and
triumphs during his tenure as president of the Washington Teachers’ Union has
just been released. “A Giant for Justice” recounts
the 1968 march on the Capitol by DC teachers – their first walkout – to demand
a pay raise...
more...

Jul 10, 2014UFCW 400 Members Affected by High Court Ruling
The
ripple effect for employers, workers and unions seeking legal clarity is huge,
in the wake of the Supreme Court’s
recent decision on presidential recess powers. The justices unanimously ruled
that President Obama’s appointments to the NLRB in 2012 and 2013 were invalid,
as...
more...

Jul 7, 2014Solidarity Center Report: Liberian Workers Seek to Close Wage Gap
Iron ore miners, forklift
drivers and other workers at ArcelorMittal in Liberia are seeking to close the
wage gap between residents and expatriate workers, who can receive up to 10
times the salary for the same work. UWUL Local 4 Secretary General Amos Monweh,
discusses how the issues...
more...

Jul 7, 2014June Minutes Posted
Draft minutes of the June meetings have now been posted
online . The Council will not meet in July or August; the next meeting is
September 15.
more...

Jul 7, 2014Golden Triangle Workers Join NFFE-IAM
D.C. Golden Triangle employees have joined
the union representing Downtown SAMs. The NLRB recently certified election
results for the employees of the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District
(BID) to be represented by NFFE-IAM, expanding the union’s expanding membership
of city...
more...

Jul 2, 2014Obama Praises Federal Workers, But Forecasts More Fights Over Pay
President Barack Obama is again praising federal workers, while forecasting more fights with Congress' controlling Republicans over those employees' pay and working conditions. “It will be a tough negotiation just because everything is a tough negotiation in Washington right now,” he...
more...

Jul 2, 2014Last Chance for Labor Night at the Nats Tix!
Monday, July 7 is the deadline to get tickets for the July 18th Labor Night at the Nats! Tickets are $10 each to see the Nats battle the Brewers, watch Secretary of Labor Tom Perez throw out the first pitch and enjoy refreshments from the ballpark’s union vendors with over 5,000 area union...
more...

Jul 1, 2014OPEIU 2's Long Ride to a Fair Contract at WMATA
Capping more than five and a half years of struggle for a fair contract, OPEIU Local 2 members voted overwhelmingly earlier this year to accept an agreement with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).
Local 2 represents 1,000 salaried WMATA employees, who received a...
more...

Jul 1, 2014Building Trades Restructuring Takes Effect
Goodbye WBCTC, hello CHOICE. The Washington DC Building Trades Council (WBCTC) has been restructured and, as of July 1, is now C.H.O.I.C.E., the Community Hub for Opportunities in Construction Employment.
C.H.O.I.C.E is an alliance of 28 local unions in the greater Baltimore and Washington,...
more...

Jul 1, 2014Solidarity Salvages Flood Victim
When a recent storm flooded out a member of SEIU Local 722, she turned to the Community Services Agency for help. “Her kids all had bedrooms in the basement and the flood destroyed clothes and other household items,” says CSA Executive Director Kathleen McKirchy. Insurance would only pay...
more...

Jul 1, 2014Celebrating DC Wage Increase, Advocates Say There's More To Do
The coalition of workers, business owners, faith leaders, labor organizations
and community groups that in recent years has won increases in the city’s minimum
wage and expanded the paid sick days law on Tuesday renewed their call to raise
the tipped minimum wage and improve wage theft...
more...

Jun 30, 2014"To Kill A King" Play Reading Set for Tonight
Josh Ford’s play “TO KILL A KING” is being read at the DC JCC’s Theater J tonight at 7:30 pm. It tells the story of the 1968 sanitation workers strike that brought Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis where he was assassinated. The play looks at issues of history, destiny and...
more...

Jun 30, 2014Letter Carrier Food Drive Delivers, Again
For the 11th consecutive year, the Letter Carriers' (NALC's) Food Drive collected more than 72 million pounds of food to help restock food banks, pantries and shelters around the country. The annual food drive—the nation's largest—took place this year on Saturday, May 10, in more than 10,000...
more...

Jun 30, 2014High Court Legalizes Some -- But Not All -- "Free Riders"
In a decision that will harm unions, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to legalize “free riders” in cases where state or local governments and individuals jointly employ caregivers. Public workers employed only by governments are another matter. But the court also turned...
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Jun 29, 2014"House of Labor" Helps Immigrants Apply for Citizenship
The “House of Labor” threw its doors open to immigrants last Saturday. As the Brazil-Chile World Cup match played on a large-screen TV, the local labor movement collaborated with CASA de Maryland and United We Dream to help green-card holders complete the lengthy and complex application for...
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Jun 27, 2014Hopkins Strike Off, For Now
The 4-day strike by service workers at Johns Hopkins Hospital planned to start Friday at 6a was called off after Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley called 1199 SEIU MD/DC and Hopkins management on Thursday and asked both sides to agree to a cooling-off period and go back to bargaining. “Having the...
more...

Jun 27, 2014DC Brunei Action Joins Global Protest
Chanting “We’re gonna beat beat back the Sultan!” dozens of labor and LGBT activists took to the quiet street in front of the Brunei embassy at noon on Friday as part of a global day of action in dozens of cities around the world. The protests targeted Brunei’s union-busting and human...
more...

Jun 26, 2014More Nats Tix Available
AFGE Local 476 has discounted Nationals tickets available
for upcoming home games and will contribute a portion of each ticket sale to the
Community Services Agency (CSA) of the Metro Washington Council. There are 4
lower level and 2 upper level tickets available for each home game, with...
more...

Jun 26, 2014RNs at Children's OK 3-Year Contract
Nurses at Children’s National Medical Center voted to accept a new contract. The 3-year deal “provides additional benefits for members without any losses from the previous agreement,” said District of Columbia Nurses Association’s (DCNA), the nurses’ union. “DCNA worked hard to...
more...

Jun 26, 2014Brunei Protest at Noon Friday
Workers, women and the LGBT community are protesting Brunei’s union-busting and human rights violations Friday at noon. The Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles, owned by the Sultan of Brunei’s investment agency, in 2009 fired unionized workers and decimated their union. Brunei has also adopted a...
more...

Jun 26, 2014DC Taxi Drivers Demand End To Illegal Ride Services:
Hundreds of D.C. cab drivers affiliated with the Teamsters Union took part in a “Fairness NOW!” caravan Wednesday throughout the city to demand an immediate stop to illegal private sedan services until a fair resolution is reached. Click here for the complete report.
more...

Jun 25, 2014Citizenship Fair Set for Saturday!
Are you or someone you know eligible for U.S.
citizenship? If so, this Saturday, June 28, the AFL-CIO national headquarters
in Washington, D.C., is the place to be to get your citizenship process started
(don't worry about missing the World Cup, the games will be playing on a big
screen)....
more...

Jun 25, 2014Results for Metro-Area Labor-Endorsed Candidates
Click here to see how local labor-endorsed
candidates did in Tuesday’s Maryland General Assembly and local primaries. In
the four key races involving union members, labor notched two wins: in Legislative
District 47A, Jimmy Tarlau (CWA
District 2-13) topped a field of five candidates,...
more...

Jun 25, 2014Union Voice/Readers Write: Election Software?
“If any area unions have used online elections software to conduct union elections, we’d be very interested in hearing about your experience,” says Vickie Spence at DCNA. Email her at vspence@dcna.org or call 202-244-2705.
more...

Jun 24, 2014Deadline Looms for Nats Tix
Time’s running out to get tickets for the July 18th Labor Night at the Nats! July 7 is the deadline to buy tickets -- $10 each -- to see the Nats battle the Brewers. Each ticket benefits the Community Services Agency of the Metro Washington Council. Contact Kathleen McKirchy,...
more...

Jun 24, 2014Students Swarm Rockville REI to Protest North Face Sweatshops
United Students Against Sweatshops, Union Summer interns and the AFT swarmed the REI in Rockville, MD last Saturday to protest North Face sweatshops in Bangladesh, urging REI to drop the brand to show solidarity with the workers and force North Face to sign the Accord on Fire and Building Safety...
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Jun 24, 2014Nurses Back Wage Transparency Bill in DC Council
The more than 200 different wage rates “arbitrarily and unilaterally decided by hospital managers,” at Providence Hospital underscore the necessity for the Wage Transparency Amendment Act, RN Jowita Lyn testified at the DC Council’s Judiciary and Public Safety Committee on Monday. Bill...
more...

Jun 24, 2014Social Media Campaigns Urge Solidarity with VA Kroger Workers
Kroger, the largest supermarket chain in the country, is now “following the lead of anti-worker companies like Walmart and Harris Teeter,” says UFCW 400, which is coordinating a campaign supporting Virginia Kroger workers. A “KrogerStrong” online petition is gathering signatures...
more...

Jun 23, 2014Federally-Contracted Low-Wage Women to Strike Today
Hundreds of working mothers and grandmothers working on federal contracts will hold a strike and rally this morning at the National Zoo, on the same day that the White House Summit on Working Families meets to discuss the struggles of low-wage working women at the nearby Omni Shoreham Hotel. The...
more...

Jun 23, 2014Labor Photo: MD/DC ARA Honors Stella
Maryland DC ARA former president Frank Stella (right) and current president Jim Baldridge at Saturday's Maryland DC ARA Luncheon. Stella, the luncheon's honoree, was National Retiree Director for AFT for more than 20 years, helped create and serve on the Democratic National Seniors...
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Jun 23, 2014MD State Fed Salutes Leadership
Nearly 400 labor leaders from across Maryland, along with national, state and local political leaders, turned out for the Maryland State and DC AFL-CIO Salute to Leadership on June 20. Awardees included Metro Washington Council president Jos Williams (right) , Maryland Senator Norman Stone...
more...

Jun 23, 2014Firefighter Film Wraps Up DC Labor FilmFest Tonight
The 2014 DC
Labor FilmFest wraps up tonight with the 7:30p screening of Burn: One Year on
the Front Lines of the Battle to Save Detroit at the AFI in Silver Spring,
MD. Email streetheat@dclaborarchives.org for free
passes! PLUS: the Fire Station 1 restaurant...
more...

Jun 23, 2014Army of New "Rosie the Riveters" Strikes in Nation’s Capital
Hundreds of low-wage federal contract workers working for companies doing business at federal sites – like the National Zoo, Pentagon and Union Station – walked off their jobs today. Led by an army of working women dressed like Rosie the Riveter, they marched through the...
more...

Jun 23, 2014Hospital Center Buys Wheelchairs After Prodding from Nurses
Just days after nurses at MedStar Washington Hospital Center held a “Donuts for Wheelchairs bake sale ( Nurses Hold Bake Sale to Raise Money for Wheelchairs at Wealthy Washington Hospital Center 6/16 UC) , the hospital announced the purchase of 60 new wheelchairs. Nurses working at the...
more...

Jun 23, 2014Labor-to-Labor Primary GOTV
In addition to a professional phonebank GOTV campaign today and tomorrow to get union members that did not take advantage of "Early Voting" out to vote on Election Day, Tuesday , June 24th "we will ask union members to contact the campaign of their choice to volunteer," says...
more...

Jun 23, 2014Services for ATU 689's James Allen Set for Thursday
Services for former ATU 689 President James W. Allen will be held this Thursday, June 26. Allen, who passed away June 14 ( In Memoriam: Jimmy Allen 6/16 UC) , was president of Local 689 from 1998-2001, after serving as 1st Vice President from 1983-1998. After leaving office he served on Board...
more...

Jun 20, 2014Justices Unanimously Back Public Employee Whistleblower
In a win for unions,
public workers and whistleblowers, the U.S. Supreme Court on June 19 unanimously
backed an Alabama whistleblower whom his boss illegally fired for testifying
about fraud to a grand jury and a trial jury. The 9-0 ruling cheered the
National Education Association (NEA),...
more...

Jun 19, 2014High School Teacher Gives Voice to Miner Ghosts
Long after Kevin Corley, a high school history teacher from Springfield, Illinois, recorded interviews in the 1980’s with elderly miners and their families for the Abraham Lincoln Historical Museum, those voices haunted him. Eventually, he wove their words into an unpublished novel that he...
more...

Jun 19, 2014AFGE: To Fix The VA, Staff The VA
Saying short-staffing led to the widespread problems in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the union that represents VA's 210,000 workers is launching a new campaign to put pressure on lawmakers to fully staff the VA. The public education drive by the American Federation of Government...
more...

Jun 19, 2014"Citizen Koch" Film Opens in DC
"America -- they're coming for you next." That’s the warning from a Wisconsin state employee in the new film “Citizen Koch” after her union rights were destroyed by a Republican governor funded by corporate and billionaire donors whose ultimate goal is to break unions nationwide and...
more...

Jun 19, 2014Labor In The News: Cement Masons 891's Mary Battle
Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons 891 business manager Mary Battle is featured in last week's Washington Post story on how women still face barriers in construction trades. Women still face substantial barriers to entering the construction field and widespread harassment on job sites,...
more...

Jun 19, 2014Great Labor Arts Exchange Starts Friday, Includes Free Concert
“A rejuvenating experience that reminds us why we do the work we do and teaches us new and exciting ways to do it,” the Great Labor Arts Exchange starts today at Montgomery College. “One of the best I have attended,” said a 2013 participant. “Beautifully organized, good programming,...
more...

Jun 19, 2014New Jazz Labor Opera Premieres Saturday
“Love Songs from the Liberation War” , a new jazz labor opera by Steve Jones, will have its world premiere this Saturday. Based on the real-life victory by striking North Carolina tobacco workers in the 1940’s, this riveting opera includes characters like RJ Reynolds, Jim Crow, Paul...
more...

Jun 19, 2014UFCW 400 Takoma Park Police Member Wins "Officer of the Year" Award
Local 400′s Takoma Park Police Department member Travis Ala (center), a Detective Private First Class, was recently honored as the department’s 2013 Officer of the Year. “D/Pfc. Ala’s work and actions have contributed significantly to the department’s visions and goals through his...
more...

Jun 17, 2014DC Jobs With Justice Celebrates 12th Annual
Former Metro Washington Council Assistant Legislative/Political
Coordinator Alya Solomon (left) was among those honored at the June 12 DC Jobs with
Justice “I’ll Be There Awards.” Also recognized were Reverend Graylan Hagler, Trabajadores
Unidos de Washington DC, and Youth-Led...
more...

Jun 17, 2014Citizenship Fair Volunteers Wanted
Volunteers are needed to assist applicants at the upcoming Citizenship Fair; click here to sign up for the brief training session being held Thursday, June 19 at 5:30p. The AFL-CIO, Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO, UFCW Local 400, LIUNA, LCLAA and CASA have partnered to host a Citizenship...
more...

Jun 17, 2014Walmart Doc Kickstarter Deadline Wednesday
It’s literally down to the wire for the Kickstarter campaign to fund “Can’t
Take It No More,” an independent documentary by local filmmakers about workers across Walmart's
global empire who are standing up for respect, fair pay and economic justice ( Help
'Kickstart' Walmart...
more...

Jun 17, 2014Council Endorses Staples Boycott
The Metro Council Monday night unanimously endorsed a boycott of Staples. “We are asking all Council affiliates, allies and supporters to immediately take their business elsewhere,” said Council president Jos Williams. Options include locally-based Guernsey or Office Depot ....
more...

Jun 16, 2014Iron 5 Apprentices Sweep Competition; Martin Wins Another Term
Iron Workers Local 5
apprentices took the top places at the Mid-Atlantic States Apprenticeship
Competition in Richmond, VA last weekend. Andrew Hernandez took first place,
Eli Ward was second and in third place was Jean Luc Leclerc. Hernandez
moves on to compete at the National...
more...

Jun 16, 2014In Memoriam: Jimmy Allen
Jimmy Allen, former president of ATU Local 689, has passed after a long
illness. Allen (at far
right) had also served for many years on the Executive Board of the
Metro Washington Council and on the board of the Maryland State and DC AFL-CIO,
as well as president of the Maryland & DC...
more...

Jun 13, 2014Union Voice/Readers Write: Love the Door Hanger!
“The printable door
hanger ( Metro
Council Launches Labor-to-Labor Campaign 6/11 UC) is great!”
writes IBEW 26’s Susan Flashman. “Allows us to hit our own neighborhood, and
our union friends. Every union hall should have these at all the meetings
between now and the election to...
more...

Jun 13, 2014Taxi Drivers Face Uber Trouble
Metro DC-area taxi drivers dealing with incursions by Uber and other
“rideshare” companies are not alone. Taxi drivers struck across Europe yesterday
to protest the companies that pride themselves on “disrupting” the taxi
industry. Drivers in Boston held a “rolling rally” last...
more...

Jun 13, 2014Without Highway Bill, 700,000 Jobs at Risk
If Congress doesn’t act soon, more than 700,000 middle
class jobs building the nation’s highways, bridges and transit systems will be
at risk. While the legislation authorizing the spending for those vital projects
doesn’t expire until Sept. 30, the Highway Trust Fund that helps states...
more...

Jun 13, 2014Free Noontime Screening of "At The River I Stand" Today
“An eloquent and powerful film”… “Incredibly moving”…
“One of the most powerful documentaries about the workers
movement.” Memphis, Spring 1968 marked the dramatic climax of the Civil
Rights movement. "At
the River I Stand" skillfully reconstructs the two eventful...
more...

Jun 13, 2014UMD Workers Ratify New Contract
Housekeepers, administrators and other
workers at the University of Maryland College Park have voted 477-8 to
ratify a new three year contract. The agreement will save the workers, members
of AFSCME Maryland Council 3, nearly a million dollars in parking costs over
the life of the...
more...

Jun 12, 2014DC LABOR FILMFEST THIS WEEK: At The River I Stand
Friday, June 13, 12 noon (bring your lunch!) AFL-CIO, 815 16 th Street NW Click here to see the trailer. Memphis, Spring 1968 marked the dramatic climax of the Civil Rights movement. At the River I Stand skillfully reconstructs the two eventful months that...
more...

Jun 11, 2014MGM National Harbor to Host Career Showcase
On June 19 ,
MGM will host a Career Showcase at Oxon Hill Manor (6901 Oxon Hill Road Oxon Hill, MD; free parking) from 11am-7pm , reports UNITE HERE Local 25.
“Please come out, bring a friend, and learn more about the exciting
opportunities at MGM...
more...

Jun 11, 2014Metro Council Launches Labor-to-Labor Campaign
Last Saturday, the Metro Washington Council began the big final
push to support labor-endorsed candidates in the upcoming primaries on June 24 . Click here to download handy PDFs listing
labor-endorsed candidates as well as door-hangers for endorsed candidates in...
more...

Jun 11, 2014Labor on the Move: Jeff Guido & Rod Easter Hired as Reps for CHOICE
Jeff Guido and Rod Easter have joined Stephen Courtien as the field staff
representatives for CHOICE, Community Hub for Opportunities in Construction
Employment, the new building and construction trades organization for the
national capital region ( Mark Coles Tapped to Lead New Capital...
more...

Jun 11, 2014Local Walmart Worker Faces Tough Choices
"I
recently had to choose between paying the electric bill and covering my
daughter Tikia's graduation fees," writes local Walmart worker Gail Todd
(left) in Salon .
"I wish I could say this was the first time that I was deciding between
bills, but this is a constant...
more...

Jun 11, 2014Fasanella Exhibits Continue
Exhibits
of painter Ralph Fasanella's work continue at both the Smithsonian American Art
Museum and the AFL-CIO. "Fasanella, who would have been 100 this September,
is being feted with “Lest We Forget,” an exhibition whose title refers to a
mantra of this lifelong...
more...

Jun 9, 2014Solidarity Center Report: Improving Worker Rights Through Rule of Law
A recent Solidarity Center analysis of Mexican laws and policies through the
lens of a key international standard offers an example of how to utilize legal
instruments to help foster safe and healthy workplaces, family-supporting wages
and social protections. One finding: Mexico’s labor law...
more...

Jun 6, 2014Walmart Strike Comes to DC Today
A
nationwide strike against Walmart comes to DC today when AFL-CIO Executive Vice
President Tefere Gebre, union members, community groups and other allies march
on Walmart in downtown DC, where they'll meet up with Walmart moms who are
walking off the job. The march starts at 1P at Union...
more...

Jun 6, 2014Volunteer at the FilmFest & Get a Free T-shirt
See a great labor movie and get a free LaborFest t-shirt! Volunteer to help out
at a June screening – next up is Office
Space at 7:30p on Monday night and Nine to Five at
9:30 -- at the DC Labor FilmFest/DC LaborFest and you’ll get into the film and
get a free t-shirt. Here's how:...
more...

Jun 6, 2014Fletcher Launches Weekly Worker Show on WPFW
Bill Fletcher has started a new show on WPFW that airs Fridays at 9a. “The show
is called "ARISE!" and it is a one-hour show focusing on workers,
unions and the struggle for justice,” Fletcher tells Union City. Check it out
live on Fridays or go to the WPFW
archives and click on ARISE....
more...

Jun 6, 2014CSA's Building Futures Program Wins MD Grant
The Community
Services Agency’s Building Futures program has won an Implementation Grant from
the Maryland EARN Program. EARN (Employment Advancement Right Now) is a new
state job training program. The Implementation Grant follows the Planning Grant
the Building Futures program won...
more...

Jun 6, 2014Walmart Strikers March Through Downtown DC
Walmart strikers, backed by hundreds of
supporters, marched through downtown DC at midday on Friday to protest the
mega-retailer's ongoing attacks on workers who speak up. The festive demonstrators
gathered in front of Union Station as curious tourists watched, including a
group of...
more...

Jun 4, 2014Labor Walks Update; Endorsements Posted
Labor to Labor Walks continue this Saturday, June 7,
at 9:30 AM at a new location: meet in the parking lot of OPEIU Local 2, 8555
16th Street, Silver Spring, MD 20910. “Eric Starin of Local 2 has graciously
agreed to coordinate the walks,” says Metro Council Political Coordinator Rick...
more...

Jun 4, 2014Book Talk Brings "Big Picture" to AFSCME Members
A recent meeting of the Library of Congress
Professional Guild, AFSCME Local 2910 covered subjects beyond the traditional
agenda items of grievances, collective bargaining and working conditions. On
Thursday, May 29, Local 2910 sponsored a Book Talk for its members and the
general public...
more...

Jun 4, 2014Firehouse Roulette?
In what Firefighters Local 36 -- and DC Councilman Tommy Wells -- called “Firehouse Roulette,” DC officials took some fire trucks out of service last weekend to deal with a staffing shortage, raising concerns among neighborhood residents and firefighters. The move “continues to erode public...
more...

Jun 4, 2014Fed Worker Unions Welcome Proposed Pay Raise
Saying that “Federal employees have been taking
it on the chin while the one percent gets richer and richer,” AFSCME Council 26
Executive Director Carl Goldman welcomed last week’s move by Sens. Brian Schatz
of Hawaii and Ben Cardin of Maryland to provide federal employees with a 3.3...
more...

Jun 2, 2014JWJ Awards Ad Deadline Today
Today’s the deadline for
ads in the Jobs with Justice "I'll Be There" awards program book; the
awards are set for June 12th from 6-8p. This year’s awardees are
Reverend Graylan Hagler, Alya Solomon, Trabajadores Unidos, and the Sasha Bruce
Youthwork. Email info@dcjwj.org for...
more...

Jun 2, 2014Labor's Hall of Fame Inducts Fraser, Holleran
Labor's International Hall
of Fame inducted the late UAW President Doug Fraser and the late AFSCME
women's rights activist Susan Holleran on May 15 in Detroit, the Hall of Fame
and the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) announced . Holleran, who died in 2007, was a labor
journalist...
more...

Jun 2, 2014Seasons Throws in the Towel at NEA
Seasons Culinary is
leaving NEA and its workers there are not sad to see it go. “We will now work
on a transition to a union company with union standards,” said Emilio Abate,
president of UNITE HERE Local 23, which represents the workers. Seasons,
targeted by Local 23 for months over its...
more...

May 30, 2014DC LaborFest Wraps, Labor FilmFest Continues
The
first annual DC LaborFest wraps up this Saturday but the 14 th annual DC Labor FilmFest continues through
the month of June, with screenings Monday nights at AFI, plus free screenings
at Busboys & Poets and the AFL-CIO. Don't miss the free tour of the
Laborers, your...
more...

May 29, 2014Concrete Workers Strike in NW DC
Striking construction workers temporarily shut down Military Road in upper
Northwest Washington Wednesday morning in a dispute with Baker Concrete over
wages and benefits. The members of CWU Local 202 – part of the Mid-Atlantic
Regional Office of the Laborers – and allies including DC Jobs...
more...

May 29, 2014Nat's Slump to End by Labor Night
Sources tell Union City
that the National’s slump will be over by July 18, coincidentally the same date
as Labor Night at the Nats . Tickets are still available for
the game against the Milwaukee Brewers; a portion of the $10 tickets benefit
the Community Services Agency's Emergency...
more...

May 29, 2014DC LaborFest This Week: Who Stole the American Dream?
Last week of the
first annual DC LaborFest, a month-long celebration of labor arts in the metro
area. The DC Labor FilmFest continues in June.
Thu, May 29 (12
noon): Book Talk: Hedrick Smith: Who Stole the American Dream? Presented
by the Library of Congress Guild,...
more...

May 29, 2014In Memoriam: Richard Evans Settle, AFGE 2798
Richard Evans Settle, formerly of AFGE Local 2798, passed away on Monday, May
26, 2014 at Meritus Medical Center in Hagerstown, Maryland. Local 2798
represents workers at the VA Medical Center, where Settle worked until his
retirement. “He was not only a member but also served as the...
more...

May 28, 2014NoVA Labor Updates
“Work is progressing very well with the update of
the NoVA Labor office in Annandale,” reports NoVA President Dan Duncan. “If you
haven’t seen it lately, you will be surprised at the differences. Also, the new
NoVA Labor collared shirts ($30) and the NoVA YELL t-shirts ($10) have...
more...

May 27, 2014AFL-CIO Seeks Volunteers for DC-Area Naturalization Workshop
The AFL-CIO is working with local community
organizations and worker centers to offer a naturalization workshop – help
green card holders apply for citizenship – on Saturday, June 28 in
DC. “We are looking for local unions and members who are interested in
volunteering at this...
more...

May 27, 2014Help 'Kickstart' Walmart Workers' Documentary
Two local filmmakers are
working to bring Walmart workers’ battle for justice to a wider audience.
Michael Blain and Kiley Kraskouskas’ film “Can’t Take It No More!” will tell
the stories of four workers across Walmart’s global empire who are standing up,
mobilizing their...
more...

May 27, 2014DC LaborFest This Week: TrashDance, Laborer's Tour & More
Last week of the first
annual DC LaborFest, a month-long celebration of labor arts in the metro area.
The DC Labor FilmFest continues in June.
Tonight (7:30p): Film: Trash Dance ($5 show!)
Sometimes inspiration can
be found in unexpected places. Choreographer Allison...
more...

May 23, 2014May Council Minutes Posted
Draft minutes of the May 19 Metro Council
Executive Board and Delegate meetings are now posted
on the Council’s website . Comments and corrections are welcome: email them
to us at streetheat@dclaborarchives.org .
The June meeting will be held on June 16, 6:30p at the AFL-CIO.
more...

May 23, 2014Census Bureau Hiring
The U.S. Census
Bureau is hiring field staff for temporary positions for the 2014 Census Test,
testing a variety of new methods and advance technologies now under
consideration for the 2020 Census. Through the use of technology and existing
government data sources, the 2020 Census hopes to...
more...

May 23, 2014Solidarity Center Report: Women Empowering Women in the Niger Delta
A dynamic coalition of women from trade unions and community groups in the
Niger Delta is training and mobilizing women and young people to effectively
engage in the democratic political process, hold local lawmakers accountable
and achieve concrete goals in their communities. Victory...
more...

May 23, 2014NNU Testifies in Support of Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
“All pregnant women
need the protections of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act,” Registered Nurse Deborah
Klaus, a member of National Nurses United (NNU), testified last week at the DC
City Council. “This includes pregnant nurses who are on their feet for
12-hour-plus shifts taking care...
more...

May 21, 2014In Memoriam: Acie Byrd & Lynn Williams
Longtime local activist Acie
Byrd has died at the age of 77 following a battle with cancer.
Byrd (right)
was among an estimated quarter of a million U.S. military personnel exposed to
radiation from U.S. nuclear tests and became a leading advocate for fellow
atomic veterans, calling for...
more...

May 21, 2014Howard University Hospital Backs Off on Nursing Cutbacks
Howard University Hospital
has apparently backed away from planned layoffs of some of its nursing staff —
at least for now, reports the Washington Business Journal .
In April, union leaders were told “the Howard University Hospital reduction in
force is on hold until further...
more...

May 21, 2014Great Labor Arts Exchange Early-Bird Registration Extended to Friday
Early-bird registration for the upcoming Great
Labor Arts Exchange (GLAE) has been extended to Friday, May 23. Integrating
arts, culture, and creative organizing, the 3-day Great Labor Arts Exchange is
set for June 20-22 at Montgomery College in Takoma Park. “GLAE participants will
learn...
more...

May 19, 2014Kroger Workers & Allies Demand End to Anti-Worker Messages
Faith leaders, community allies and other supporters
joined two busloads of Kroger shop stewards from UFCW locals 400 and 23 on May
13 as they headed to Kroger Marketplace store 519 in Henrico, VA to show
solidarity, talk with customers, and deliver a letter to management. The letter...
more...

May 16, 2014Delegate Meeting Monday Features Film Screening:
The Council's May 19 Delegate Meeting at 6:30p next Monday will be held at the American Film Institute in Silver Spring (8633 Colesville Rd). “After a brief business meeting we'll view the film ‘ Dirty Pretty Things’ as part of this...
more...

May 16, 2014LaborFest T-shirts & Passes at Saturday Labor to Labor Walks
The first five folks to show up at this Saturday’s Metro Labor Council Labor to Labor Walks will get a free 2014 DC LaborFest t-shirt “and everyone who comes out gets a pair of free passes to the ongoing DC Labor FilmFest!” says Metro Council Political/Legislative...
more...

May 15, 2014DC LaborFest Today: Ben Shahn WPA Murals
The DC LaborFestcontinues today with a free noontime tour of WPA murals at the VOA headquarters (330 Independence Avenue, S.W., Enter through the entrance on C Street, 1 block south of Independence, between 3rd and 4th streets; Federal Center Metro station is a block south ; meet in...
more...

May 14, 2014AFSCME Maryland Blasts UMES President
Calling the move a corporate handout, the Maryland Chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees today sharply criticized University of Maryland – Eastern Shore President Juliet Bell for her decision to outsource the jobs of 85 Dining Services workers on the...
more...

May 14, 2014Infrastructure Rally Calls for Rebuilding America
A midday rally on Thursday in front of the AFL-CIO headquarters will focus on the vital need for upgrading infrastructure in the U.S. AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka will speak and Metro Council president Jos Williams will emcee the rally, which is part of...
more...

May 14, 2014Union Print Shops, Updated
Three area union printers unintentionally omitted from the 2014 Union Shop in the 2014 Directory of Local Unions are included in the online Directory Union Shop listings : Fast Print , National Ink & Stitch and Print Depot are all signatories with...
more...

May 14, 2014IBEW Tour benefits CSA Emergency Fund
Last chance to sign up for the IBEW Museum Tour tonight at 5:30p (update: tour canceled; stay tuned for updates on when it'll be rescheduled) , which offers a very special 1-hour guided tour of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) museum in downtown...
more...

May 13, 2014LaborFest IBEW Tour Benefits CSA
The IBEW Museum Tour this Wednesday at 5:30p offers a very special guided tour of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) museum. The IBEW museum – open only by appointment – presents an interactive history of the IBEW from its founding until today,...
more...

May 12, 2014EJC's Worker's Rights Manual Goes Online
The Employment Justice Center's Worker's Rights Manual, aprimary source
for information about the legal rights of workers for lawyers and activists in
DC, Maryland and Virginia, is now available on-line at no cost . “Written with the help of
contributing editors who are leaders in...
more...

May 12, 2014Victory At Bestway Mt. Vernon
Bestway Mt. Vernon employees are claiming
victory after a final tally showed a 19-10
vote in favor of being represented by UFCW Local 400. As previously reported ( Bestway Mt. Vernon Votes for Union Recognition 5/2/2014) ,
the initial vote on April 24 was 16-10 with 9 challenged votes. On...
more...

May 12, 2014DC LaborFest Today: Ravitch Memoir; Celebrating Craftmanship
AFL-CIO Book Club: "So Much to Do: The Life of Business
and Politics" (12
noon, AFL-CIO, free) Richard Ravitch has been a prominent figure in
American life since the 1960s, linking the worlds of public service, investment
and labor. Join AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka...
more...

May 12, 2014Nurses Release Report Documenting Understaffing
Registered
nurses and community allies on Monday -- International Nurses Day -- released a
new 24-page patient care report documenting scores of incidents of
understaffing at District hospitals and government agencies over the past 15
months. The report was prepared for the DC City Council,...
more...

May 9, 2014Shoppers Food Workers Mobilize
UFCW 400 last week held
Shoppers Food and Pharmacy member mobilization meetings in Maryland and
Virginia so members could attend and discuss what they wanted in their upcoming
collective bargaining agreement set to expire on July 12.
photo: Shoppers Food &
Pharmacy Maryland...
more...

May 9, 2014Letter Carrier Food Drive Tomorrow
Before you head out to
enjoy the weekend tomorrow, don’t forget to set your bag of non-perishable food
by your mailbox: your letter carrier will pick it up as part of the 22nd annual
Letter Carriers’ Food Drive. “Too many people in this country are still going
hungry every day,” NALC...
more...

May 7, 2014Labor Walks This Saturday
The
Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO Labor to Labor Walks announced yesterday will
take place this Saturday,
May 10 (not May 9 ,
as previously reported). The walks are in support of union members Veronica
Turner (SEIU 1199), Jimmy Tarlau (CWA) & Larry...
more...

May 7, 2014Major Rally Today Against Bad Trade Deals
More than 1,000 activists from unions, greens, citizen
groups,students and other groups will hear from members of Congress and rally
for fair, 21st century trade today at 1:30p at the U.S. Capitol (Upper Senate Park; Independence
across from the Capitol). “Our failed trade...
more...

May 7, 2014UNITE HERE 23 Urges NEA Head to Support Cafeteria Workers
UNITE HERE Local 23 is calling on National Education Association (NEA)
Executive Director John Stocks to take a stand for NEA cafeteria workers.
Seasons Culinary, the food service company that operates the cafeteria in the
NEA headquarters “is still refusing to accept a contract that...
more...

May 7, 2014ATU to Purchase Labor College Property
The National Labor College expects that the property that the college campus
sits on “will be sold by the end of July to the Amalgamated Transit Union
(ATU), so the beautiful property will stay in the labor family, which is
wonderful,” the College reports
on its blog ....
more...

May 7, 2014Unionists Ignore Downpour, Fight Fast Track
Come hell or high water – in this case, the latest in D.C.'s
year of downpours – hundreds of unionists gathered on Capitol Hill on May 7 to
campaign against “fast-track” trade legislation and the anti-worker trade
treaties the measure would lead to.
And after hearing a parade...
more...

May 5, 2014Union Voice/Readers Write: Trumka's Father's Advice
“At the recent National Labor
College graduation ceremony, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka ended the
commencement address with a word of advice from his father that I thought I
would share with you,” writes Perry Levin. "His dad told him ‘Don't let
anyone divide you, fight for what's...
more...

May 5, 2014Omega Protein Ratifies Three-Year Contract
Omega Protein fishermen unanimously
ratified a three-year collective bargaining agreement on April 26 that improves
the lives of 69 members working on the vessels fishing menhaden in the Atlantic
Ocean and Chesapeake Bay, when not docked in Reedville, VA along the Northern
Neck. The...
more...

May 5, 2014Rally Set for Tuesday to Support Wage Theft Bill
With the Wage Theft Prevention Act bill
expected to be voted on tomorrow, the Employment Justice Center and allies are
planning a rally at the DC City Council at 9am. "Help us pack the room for
the vote!" the EJC urges. "Chamber lobbyists have come out in strong
opposition to the bill, and...
more...

May 5, 2014CSA's News You Can Use: Stamp Out Hunger; Labor Night at the Nats
On May 10, Join the Letter Carriers
and Help ‘Stamp Out Hunger’:
This Saturday, May 10, you can “Stamp
Out Hunger” by joining with the Letter Carriers (NALC) union in its 22nd
annual food drive—the largest one-day food drive in the nation. Letter Carriers
collected more than...
more...

May 5, 2014JUFJ's Spring 2014 Activist Trainings
Whether you're a seasoned activist
or looking to find out more about community organizing, Jews United for
Justice's Spring Activist Trainings are "the perfect time to build your
skills for more local liberation," says JUFJ. "We'd love for you to
be there to bring your perspective, gain...
more...

May 5, 2014LaborFest Today: Salt of the Earth
The DC LaborFest continues tonight
with a screening of the labor film classic Salt of the Earth at
7:30p at the AFI in Silver Spring. Originally banned by the U.S. government and
now recognized by the Smithsonian as among “the greatest 100 films ever made,”
this film -- celebrating...
more...

May 2, 2014EJC Notches Another Wage Theft Win
The Employment Justice Center and Murphy Anderson PLLC recently
announced a settlement in a wage and hour case involving service employees who
were owed unpaid wages. Over 100 workers will receive approximately
$400,000. However, the EJC reports that a group of thirteen workers who...
more...

May 2, 2014Bestway Mt. Vernon Votes for Union Recognition
Supermarket workers at the Mt. Vernon Bestway on April 24 voted for a
union. The vote was 16-10 to join UFCW Local 400, with 9 challenged votes,
which must be investigated by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) before
it can be officially deemed a victory. Last October, Bestway workers...
more...

May 2, 2014DC Gets a New Union Hotel
The Marriott Marquis is not only Washington’s newest downtown hotel but
the latest union one as well. The Marquis – which opened yesterday --
recognized both Unite Here 25 and IUOE 99 as the representatives for hotel
workers and operating engineers on April 18. With 1,175 rooms, the...
more...

May 1, 2014Mother Jones Launches DC LaborFest
The first annual DC LaborFest kicks off today, May 1 -- celebrated around the world as International Worker's Day -- with a mid-day May Day wreath-laying in honor of legendary labor organizer Mary Harris "Mother" Jones' 184th birthday.
more...

May 1, 2014Mother Jones Wreath-Laying Launches DC LaborFest
“Mother Jones always said that ‘The first thing is to raise hell,” Saul Schniderman reminded the small crowd gathered in Silver Spring Thursday to commemorate the feisty labor icon’s birthday and kick off the DC LaborFest. “She said ‘That’s always the first thing to do when...
more...

Apr 30, 2014Union Voice/Readers Write: Labor Map Add
“I love your labor
map ,” writes Jamie Horwitz. “Really nice. It has one omission though, The
National Press Club has two unionized restaurants, including The Fourth Estate
Restaurant, which is open to the public.
- Thanks for the catch!
The map’s been updated and you’ll find...
more...

Apr 30, 2014DC Jobs With Justice Awardees Announced
This year’s DC Jobs with Justice “I'll Be There”
awardees will be Reverend Graylan Hagler (right)
of Plymouth United Church of Christ, Alya Solomon of the DC Office
of the People's Counsel (former Political/Legislative Assistant at the Metro
Washington Council), Trabajadores Unidos de...
more...

Apr 30, 2014UNITE HERE Local 7 Affiliates with Metro Council
Baltimore-based UNITE HERE Local 7,
which represents over 100 metro-area workers at Martin’s
Crosswinds in Greenbelt, has affiliated with the Metro Council. “We’re
proud to welcome our Local 7 members to the Council,” said Metro Council
president Jos Williams, “and we’re...
more...

Apr 30, 2014Dumbarton Oaks Workers Organize
Employees at Dumbarton Oaks, a Harvard research
library and museum in Washington, D.C., voted earlier this month to join the
Harvard Union for Clerical and Technical Workers (HUCTW), the Cambridge,
MA-based union affiliated with AFSCME. About 45 staff members at Dumbarton
Oaks, who are...
more...

Apr 28, 2014Labor on the Move: Amalgamated Names Mestrich President
Keith Mestrich has been named President of Amalgamated
Bank . Mestrich, who most recently served as the bank’s
Chief of Staff and previously headed up the bank’s DC branch, worked in the
labor and progressive movements for more than two decades prior to joining
Amalgamated Bank in 2012....
more...

Apr 28, 2014DC LaborFest Launches This Week
The
first annual DC LaborFest
kicks off this Thursday, May 1 with a midday May
Day wreath-laying in honor of legendary labor organizer Mary Harris
“Mother” Jones’ 184th birthday. On Friday there’s a free noontime screening of
the film Fasanella at the AFL-CIO – an exhibit of...
more...

Apr 28, 2014AFT, First Book-DC Distribute 40,000 Free Books for Low-Income Kids
The American Federation
of Teachers and First Book-DC, along with other partners – including WTU Local
6 and the Metro Washington Council -- last Saturday distributed 40,000 free
books to Washington, D.C.-area public school educators and representatives of
more than 200 community groups...
more...

Apr 28, 2014MD/DC AFL-CIO Releases Maryland Endorsements
The Maryland State and District of
Columbia AFL-CIO on Friday released endorsements in the 2014 Primary Election. In
addition to endorsements for Maryland Governor (Anthony Brown), Lt. Governor
(Ken Ulman), Comptroller (Peter Franchot) and Attorney General (Brian Frosh),
the State AFL-CIO...
more...

Apr 25, 2014NEA Staff & Cafeteria Workers Picket Culinary Seasons
"If I had a little bit more money I
could pay the bills and save some for my boys," said Jessica Reyes.
"I want them to go to college and not have to work a job like mine."
Reyes works in the cafeteria at the National Education Association's
headquarters on 16th Street, which is operated by...
more...

Apr 25, 2014Making a Difference for DC Residents
“It’s
really easy to just write checks and think you are helping your town,” said
Community Foundation President Terri Lee Freeman. “But what’s really gratifying
is to know that those checks go to agencies that are really making a difference
for DC residents, and helping them...
more...

Apr 25, 2014Solidarity Center Report: 1 Year After Rana Plaza
The Rana Plaza building
collapsed a year ago, killing more than 1,100 Bangladesh garment workers. Since
the disaster, 54 people have died or been injured at garment factories in
Bangladesh. Garment workers seeking to form unions are intimidated by factory
managers, who sometimes threaten to...
more...

Apr 25, 2014WPFW to Broadcast Special on "Salt of the Earth"
The classic labor film “Salt of the Earth” will be the focus of a
special hour-long program Monday on WPFW Radio (89.3 FM) from 11a to 12 noon on
April 28. “Salt of the Earth” is celebrating it’s 60th anniversary this year
and screens May 5 –
7:30p at AFI...
more...

Apr 24, 2014Hitting the Streets for Thunderous Thursday
Three
demonstrations today headline a full day of local labor actions that also includes a noontime discussion on
copyright and an evening town hall on Fast Track.
First up is the Postal Workers Protest at Staples at 11a at 19th & L, followed by Unite Here...
more...

Apr 23, 2014Mother Jones: Alive and Still Kicking at 184
It’s turning out to be quite a year
for Mother Jones. Once dubbed “the most dangerous woman in America,” Jones’
184th birthday will be celebrated with a wreath-laying in Silver Spring on May 1 that kicks off the 2014 DC LaborFest next week. On April 12, Jones was
inducted...
more...

Apr 23, 2014Teachers On The Move
Speaking of the teachers, Washington Teachers Union Local 6 has just moved.
Their new address is 1239 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20003. Their
phone number remains the same: 202-293-8600; Fax: 202-293-8635. Always get the
latest info on Council affiliates on our online...
more...

Apr 23, 2014CSA News You Can Use: Help Distribute Free Books
Volunteers are needed this Saturday at the AFL-CIO -- click
here to sign up -- to help distribute 40,000 free books to teachers,
school staff, parents and kids. The Books on Wheels provides needy kids
with free books and is sponsored by AFT, First Book and the Phi Beta Phi...
more...

Apr 23, 2014Protest Against USPS-Staples "Sweetheart Deal" Set for Thursday
It won’t be easy
getting into the Staples store at 19 th & L Streets tomorrow,
with hundreds of postal workers and their supporters rallying at 11:30a as part of a national day of action with
events at more than 50 Staples stores in 27 states to protest the sweetheart
deal between...
more...

Apr 22, 2014Labor Delegation To Lafayette Hunger Strikers' Base Camp Today
Today at 5p,
the AFL-CIO is coordinating a labor delegation to the ongoing hunger strike in
Lafayette Park. Two weeks ago, a group consisting of several families torn
apart by the government’s current deportation policy launched a 30-day hunger
strike based across from the White...
more...

Apr 21, 2014Thunderous Thursday
Three demonstrations
this Thursday, April 24 headline a full day of local labor actions that also
includes a noontime discussion on copyright and an evening town hall on Fast
Track. First up is the Postal Workers Protest at Staples at 11a at 19th & L,
followed by Unite Here 23’s Stand...
more...

Apr 21, 2014CSA's Building Futures Program Wins Another Grant
The Community Services Agency’s Building Futures program
landed another grant last week when the Community Foundation for the National
Capital Region announced grant awards to 58 nonprofit organizations for the
first round of grant-making from the City Fund. CSA’s Building Futures program...
more...

Apr 21, 2014Guild Members Shine as Winners of 2014 Pulitzers
More than half of the Pulitzer Prizes
awarded this year went to journalists in TNG-CWA-represented newsrooms,
including at The Washington
Post . "We take enormous pride in the fact that Guild members
and the news organizations they work for represent the very best of American
journalism,"...
more...

Apr 21, 2014Council Meeting Preview
Tonight’s Council meeting – 6:30p at the AFL-CIO features reports on the upcoming Postal
Workers protest at Staples, the ongoing hunger strike by immigration rights
activists in Lafayette Park, endorsement recommendations in Maryland races and
a preview of next month’s first-ever...
more...

Apr 21, 2014Click Here to Help CSA Win $10,000!
“If you have a Facebook account, you can help the
Community Services Agency win $10,000 from WTOP with just a computer click,” reports Community
Services Agency Executive Director Kathleen McKirchy. “ The Community Services Agency is
registered for the WTOP...
more...

Apr 18, 2014Help CSA Win $10,000
The
Community Services Agency is participating in WTOP’s "Click for a
Cause" contest next week, in which winners will receive $10,000 in cash
while runners-up get radio spots and support from the station. “This is a great
chance for financial support and to get the word out about how...
more...

Apr 18, 2014Maryland Passes Responsible Contracting Law
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) on Tuesday signed a bill that protects taxpayers by prohibiting
private contractors who have broken the law from obtaining contracts with the
state. SB 669 gives
Maryland residents important new protection...
more...

Apr 18, 2014DC LaborFest Adds 3 More Events
Elizabeth Warren, the senior United States Senator
from Massachusetts, will discuss her new memoir on May 2 at the AFL-CIO, The American Nurse film opens a week-long run on May 8 ,
exploring some of the biggest issues facing...
more...

Apr 18, 2014Global Labor Film Festival Returns in May
The May 5 DC Labor FilmFest screening of Salt of the Earth is part of the second annual Global Labor Film Festival which showcases the growing worldwide
scope of nearly three dozen film festivals focused on
films about work...
more...

Apr 18, 2014Solidarity Center Report: How You Can Help Bangladesh Organizers
Bangladeshi union organizer Hasina Akter was talking
with garment workers in Dhaka when a group of at least 20 people accosted her
and the three other union organizers and a worker leader with her. She and her
companions were threatened and beaten, one into unconsciousness. The February...
more...

Apr 16, 2014DC Labor Map Updated
The online DC Labor Map has been updated again and now includes
the Amalgamated Bank on K Street, the Laborers
District Council’s new office in Reston, the Transport Workers Union on 3 rd Street and Laborers’ Local 11 in Alexandria . Updates, corrections and additions...
more...

Apr 16, 2014Labor to March in DC Emancipation Day Parade Today
Local
labor leaders and activists are once again participating in the annual D.C.
Emancipation Day activities today. Emancipation Day is an official public
holiday in the District of Columbia to remember April 16, 1862 when President
Abraham Lincoln signed the DC Compensation Emancipation Act...
more...

Apr 16, 2014Community Groups Reach Out to Walmart Workers
DC
Jobs With Justice and Respect DC volunteers made several visits to both DC
Walmart stores last week to do “know your rights” outreach on Walmart workers'
rights to the new minimum wage and paid sick days in the District. “We're going
to continue this outreach throughout the year to...
more...

Apr 14, 2014Union Voice/Readers Write: Fantastic Map!
“Hey, I love the ‘DC Labor Map’ that you created on CommunityWalk!”
writes J Grandestaff. “Would like you to add the location for IAM Capital Air
Lodge 1759.”
No problem! Click here to see Lodge 1759 on the DC Labor Map and
while you’re there check out the area...
more...

Apr 14, 2014NLRB Says NBC Universal Broke Law
The National Labor Relations Board ruled
on April 7 that NBC Universal violated federal labor law by refusing to
recognize and bargain with NABET-CWA. The case stems from an attempt by NBC in
early 2009 to unilaterally change the terms and conditions of employment
for NABET-CWA members...
more...

Apr 12, 2014AFL-CIO Urges Support for Lafayette Park Hunger Strikers
The AFL-CIO is offering logistical and public support to a group of hunger strikers who, starting last week, have been protesting across from the White House, in Lafayette Park. “The group, consisting of several families of immigrants in detention centers or currently in detention proceedings,...
more...

Apr 11, 2014Labor Political Updates
Veronica Turner (right) , the
labor-endorsed candidate for Maryland District 26 Senator is holding a Labor Rally this Saturday, April 12 th from
10a to 12 noon at the Painters Union Hall.
COPE candidate
interviews are being held next Monday April 14 th
and Tuesday, April...
more...

Apr 11, 2014DC LaborFest "Save the Date" Cards Available
The first annual DC LaborFest
kicks off May 1 and “Save the Date” cards are now available for distribution to
local members. The month-long labor cultural, film and arts festival includes
the 14 th annual DC Labor FilmFest, an art
exhibition on organizer/painter Ralph Fassanella at...
more...

Apr 10, 2014Howard University Hospital Nurses Hit Street Against RIFS
Janice Bashorun
has been a clinical nurse for 38 years. On Thursday, despite trouble with her
legs that requires a special walker, she found herself walking an informational
picket line in front of Howard University Hospital (HUH), chanting “Nurses care
for patient safety!” with dozens...
more...

Apr 9, 2014NoVA Dinner Ad Deadline Extended
The deadline for ads in the program book for the annual “Tribute to NoVA Labor” dinner and award ceremony has been extended a week to Thursday, April 17. “This is our only fundraiser and will allow NoVA Labor to support its membership as an established community and political force in...
more...

Apr 9, 2014Turner Labor Rally Set for Saturday
Veronica Turner, the
labor-endorsed candidate for Maryland District 26 Senator is holding a Labor
Rally on Saturday, April 12th from 10:00 AM to 12 Noon at the Painters Union
Hall. Click here for full details .
more...

Apr 9, 2014Goodwin Swears in OPEIU 2 Officers & Board, Presents UFW Award
OPEIU Local 2’s newly-elected officers and
Executive Board members were sworn in to their 3-year terms on April 1 by OPEIU
president
Mike Goodwin . Goodwin also presented the local with an award from the
United Farm Workers in recognition of the “unwavering support for farm
workers...
more...

Apr 9, 2014Websites: What Every Union Communicator Needs to Know
The latest and
best options for easily building an inexpensive website for a local union or
organizing campaign will be the featured presentation at this Friday's Local
Labor Communicators meeting, scheduled for this Friday, April 11 at 9:15a.
IFPTE’s Chris Langford will review...
more...

Apr 9, 2014DCNA Plans Informational Picket at Howard Thursday
The District of Columbia Nurses Association
(DCNA), will stage an informational picket at Howard University Hospital
on Thursday at 11:30a . DCNA is concerned that Howard's failure
to follow negotiated procedures after deciding to lay off registered nurses
"will result in unnecessary...
more...

Apr 8, 2014Immigration Bus Stops at Wolf's Door
Marching and chanting "Yes we can!" in seven different languages, nearly 100 people rallied Wednesday morning in front of U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf's (R) 10th District office in Herndon, Va., urging his support for immigrant rights. Union members from Communications Workers of America (CWA), the...
more...

Apr 7, 2014Democrats Call For Study of Declining Federal-Worker Morale
Three Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee have
asked the Government Accountability Office to examine recent declines in
federal-worker morale and how to reverse the trend, reports The Washington Post .
Reps. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), who is the panel’s...
more...

Apr 7, 2014Library of Congress Guild Opposes Reduction of Services
The Library of Congress Professional Guild (AFSCME Local 2910) last month
called on the Librarian of Congress to stop the planned merger and reduction of
specialized reference collections and services and to keep the LOC's Science
and Business Reading Room (right)
open. The Library’s...
more...

Apr 7, 2014$10.10 Minimum Wage Bill Passes in the Maryland General Assembly
Labor leaders and their allies hailed Monday’s passage of the
$10.10 minimum wage by the Maryland General Assembly. “Raising Maryland’s
minimum wage is a huge win for the hundreds of thousands of workers across the
state who will get a raise, as well as the businesses and communities...
more...

Apr 2, 2014Union Voice/Readers Write: Remembering the Memphis Strikers' Union
“Your piece on MLK and Memphis (3/28 Union City Labor History) failed to
mention that these strikers were all members of AFSCME Local 1733, the city's
sanitation workers,” writes Don Wasserman. “This is not to take away from the
absolute first-rate work that you do in getting out...
more...

Apr 2, 2014Grand Budapest Hotel's Story of Worker Solidarity
Wes Anderson’s new film “The Grand Budapest Hotel” is a lovely paean to a lost era “but it’s also a subtle story of workers and worker solidarity,” writes DC Labor FilmFest Director Chris Garlock in a recent post on Working America’s Main Street blog. “Set...
more...

Apr 2, 2014Support Urged for MontCo Trash Hauler Health Care
Many of the sanitation workers who collect
residential trash in Montgomery County do not have health insurance because
they do not earn enough to afford it, reports the Mid-Atlantic Laborers. More
than 100 county sanitation workers went on strike last year over this issue but
“Despite...
more...

Mar 31, 2014Trades Urge Support for Cove Point LNG Project
Area building trades unions are urging support for a $3.8 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility being planned by Dominion at its Cove Point facility in Lusby, MD. “Construction workers there will be covered by a Project Labor Agreement (PLA),” says Mark Coles of the Washington...
more...

Mar 31, 2014AFL-CIO to Lead Protest at Heritage Foundation Today
AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Tefere Gebre (left) will lead today’s protest at the Heritage Foundation to highlight their efforts to restrict the minimum wage and strip workers’ rights. The protest (which does not include civil disobedience) starts at 11:30a at...
more...

Mar 31, 2014Living in a Precarious World:
Best-selling author Barbara Ehrenreich, acclaimed novelist Justin Torres and DC Jobs with Justice leader Nikki Lewis are among those leading a series of discussions today and tomorrow about “our increasingly precarious work and lives in this rapidly changing economy.”...
more...

Mar 28, 2014Labor On The Move: Solomon Moves to DC Office of the People's Counsel
Metro Council Assistant Political Coordinator Alya Solomon has accepted a
position at the DC Office of the People's Counsel as the Consumer Affairs
Liaison, "where I will continue my work to protect working families by
advocating for consumers of natural gas, electric and telephone services."...
more...

Mar 28, 2014Labor Events Spring Forth
Spring must be here, because local labor activity is
bursting out all over! Tomorrow
you can hear from DC workers organizing to change their workplace and learn how
you can aid their struggles at the Low-Wage
Workers Speak Out! And on Monday ,
Tell the
Heritage Foundation to Stop...
more...

Mar 28, 2014"I am AFGE" Offers Real Picture of Federal Employees
A new
campaign from AFGE takes a closer look at the hardworking men and women who
are the dedicated public servants caring for our veterans, defending our
borders and keeping our food safe to eat. The campaign aims “to break down the
stereotypes that some folks have about federal...
more...

Mar 28, 2014"Cesar Chavez" Opens This Weekend!
"Cesar Chavez,"
the first major movie in years to show the labor movement in a positive light, opens in area theaters tonight. “Go
see it!” urges Metro Washington Council – and DC Labor FilmFest Co-Chair – Jos
Williams. “ Cesar Chavez
tells a monumental story about an...
more...

Mar 26, 2014PG & MontCo Candidate Interviews Today & Tomorrow
Prince George’s and
Montgomery County COPE candidate interviews will take place today and tomorrow,
starting each day at 10a. The interviews will be in the basement meeting room
of UFCW Local 400 (4301 Garden City Drive, Landover MD). Links to the candidate questionnaires are posted on the...
more...

Mar 26, 2014DC Labor FilmFest Raffling Off Pair of Free Tix to Sunday
"Cesar Chavez," a new
major motion picture about legendary Farm Worker leader Cesar Chavez will debut
March 28 in theaters nationwide, and the DC Labor FilmFest is raffling off two
free tickets to this Sunday's special screening in DC. Click here to
enter the drawing for the 5p screening...
more...

Mar 26, 2014Labor FilmFest, Night at the Nats Updates
Space is still available in the 2014 DC Labor FilmFest/DC
LaborFest program guide, which so far includes nearly more than three dozen
events celebrating labor art and culture in May and June. Email cgarlock@dclaborarchives.org for details or to
reserve space. Bricklayers Local 1 is the...
more...

Mar 26, 2014Labor On The Move: McElroy Returns to DC
Elizabeth McElroy is the new Assistant Director of
the AFL-CIO’S Political Department, where she serves as the point person for
the Federation “to connect the labor movement to candidates and parties and
find ways to work on areas of common interest,” she tells Union City. McElroy
was...
more...

Mar 24, 2014Unions Hit Doors for Medicaid Expansion in VA
Volunteers from a dozen
international unions placed door hangers throughout two different Northern
Virginia legislative districts on Saturday, calling upon those members of the
House of Delegates to support expansion of Medicaid to cover the 400,000
Virginians without health care. "All...
more...

Mar 24, 2014"Time for the Dough to Rise" Says Labor Seder
A 40-year-old fast
food worker in Randallstown, MD making $8 an hour spends his spare time looking
for a second job to make ends meet...A pizza delivery driver making $7.25 an
hour has to rotate paying her bills; when her car broke down she couldn't
afford to fix it and lost her job...a...
more...

Mar 24, 2014Labor Photo: Union Demo(lition)
The Laborers posted this photo on Facebook last week of the demolition of the
16th street church of Third Church of Christ, Scientist. The concrete
building’s lower walls are six feet thick and the upper walls are three feet
thick.
Answer to Friday’s Labor
Photo quiz: AFSCME 2910...
more...

Mar 24, 2014Nats Facility Workers Vote in Union
Facilities workers at Nationals Park voted
in Local 99 of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) on Friday.
The election was the culmination of a months-long campaign to organize
the more than 20 skilled workers at the home of the Washington Nationals.
“In the final...
more...

Mar 21, 2014UNITE HERE Boycott Update
While the global Hyatt boycott has ended, there are a
number of local Hyatts with continuing labor disputes including boycotts, which
UNITE HERE urges travelers to continue to support. Here are the union’s
“3 Steps to Avoid Labor Disputes and Support Hotel Workers”: 1: Use the...
more...

Mar 21, 2014Slamdunk for Metro Transit Cops
The Metro Transit Police
Department (photo) won ATU
Local 689’s 2014 Basketball Championship, defeating the Running Rebels 68-50.
“The game stayed close until the midway point of the second half,” reports
Local 689. Kenneth Nickerson was named the most valuable player for the Metro...
more...

Mar 21, 2014Labor Photo: Guess Who?
This photo from the mid-Seventies includes two currently-active local labor
leaders. Who are they? Click here to submit your guess and you could win a free
autographed copy of “How
to Jump-Start Your Union” !
more...

Mar 21, 2014Laborers Push for Healthcare for MontCo Trash Haulers
Many of the
sanitation workers who collect residential trash in Montgomery County earn less
than $20,000 a year, reports the Mid-Atlantic Laborers. “And most of those
sanitation workers do not have health insurance because they do not earn enough
to afford it.” MALiUNA says that the...
more...

Mar 21, 2014Labor FilmFest Ad Deadline Extended
The deadline for ads in the 2014 DC Labor
FilmFest program guide has been extended as planning continues for the 14 th
annual labor film festival, scheduled for May and June. Email cgarlock@dclaborarchives.org to reserve your
space now. Fourteen films about work and workers will anchor the...
more...

Mar 19, 2014Union Voice/Readers Write: Looking for Union Printers
"Do you know happen to know if there is any place in the area (preferably
Montgomery County) that does printing and is a union shop?" asks UC reader
Walter Hill.
Absolutely!
Our online Union Shop listings include the latest list of area union printers ,
including Print...
more...

Mar 19, 2014Early Voting Begins in DC
Early voting has begun in the District of Columbia. DC voters can vote
in person at One Judiciary Sq., 441 4th St. NW through this Saturday, March 29,
from 8:30a-7p daily, and at all 13 Early Voting Centers March 22-29 (Closed Sundays). Click here for Early Voting...
more...

Mar 19, 2014NoVA Labor Activists to Hit Streets Saturday
Northern Virginia labor activists and their allies will be hitting the
streets in Manassas and Ashburn this Saturday to promote Medicaid/health care
expansion before the General Assembly returns to Richmond in special session next Monday . “We’re just dropping door...
more...

Mar 19, 2014Evening with Labor Award-Winner Photos Posted
Photos of award-winners at lastSaturday's 37th annual Evening with
Labor have been posted on the Metro Washington Council's Facebook page ; stay
tuned for more photos from the reception and dinner soon! photo: Metro Council president Jos Williams (left) congratulates Emilio...
more...

Mar 17, 2014CNN Workers Still Await Justice After 10 Years
Calling it “incomprehensible” that ten years have passed “since CNN America hatched its scheme to unlawfully oust the union from CNN studios and field work at news bureaus in New York City and Washington, D.C.,” CWA is urging calls to the NLRB to win justice for 250 fired...
more...

Mar 17, 2014Hospital Workers Call for Expanded DC Patient Protection Act
“Patient care is a team effort,” SEIU 722 president
Dan Fields says. In addition to doctors and nurses, there are patient care techs
who monitor vitals, phlebotomists who draw blood, transporters, environmental
service workers, and respiratory service workers. Many of these...
more...

Mar 14, 2014Labor on the Move: Amalgamated Bank Names Reardon VP
Alison Reardon has been named Amalgamated Bank 's First Vice President and
Director of the Washington, D.C. region to lead the bank’s expansion of its
portfolio of D.C.-based labor unions, progressive organizations, non-profits
and businesses. A veteran of both national and...
more...

Mar 12, 2014Get on the Labor Notes Bus
ATU 1764’s Kewana
Battle-Mason is planning on attending the upcoming Labor Notes Conference April
4-6 in Chicago, and has offered to drive anyone who wants to come along from
DC. "I don't mind driving if somebody has a van or there is a group that
wants to rent one,” says Battle....
more...

Mar 12, 2014Going Fast: Evening with Labor Tickets & Labor FilmFest Ads
Tickets for this Saturday’s 37 th annual Evening with Labor
are going fast but you can still get yours by contacting Kathleen McKirchy at kmckirchy@dclaborarchives.org or call
202-974-8221. Cocktails at 6:30p, dinner at 7:30. And though the EWL adbook has
gone to press, there’s...
more...

Mar 11, 2014Politicians: Building Trades Show The Way In Rebuilding U.S.
By Mark Gruenberg, PAI Staff Writer
WASHINGTON (PAI) -- With the federal government mired in partisan warfare, U.S.
building trades unions are showing the way in rebuilding the country, while
also reaching out – and putting to work – the women and minorities who will be
the future of...
more...

Mar 10, 2014Labor Seder Tickets Going Fast
The Labor Seder is coming up in just two weeks – March 23 -- and tickets
are going fast, reports Jews United for Justice. Click here to reserve yours now. JUFJ's annual seder
celebrates the Passover freedom story through grassroots action on local
issues. “At the 2014 Labor Seder,...
more...

Mar 10, 2014Correction: Link to Support Patient Protection Act
Our link to sign a letter to
the DC Mayor and City Councilmembers supporting the bill mandating minimum
nurse-to-patient ratios ( DC RNs Call on City Council to End Delay on Patient Protection
Act 3/7 UC) was
wrong; click here for the...
more...

Mar 10, 2014$10.10 Minimum Wage Bill Passes in Maryland House:
The Maryland House of Delegates on Friday passed
legislation to raise the state’s minimum wage to $10.10 per hour by 2017.
The Senate Finance Committee is expected to take action during the week of
March 10. This is the first time that a minimum wage bill has been passed by
the full...
more...

Mar 10, 2014Evening with Labor Tix Still Available
Don’t miss the 37 th annual
Evening with Labor, this Saturday, March 15! Schmooze with labor friends and
political allies, celebrate this year’s award-winners and dance the night away
to music of The Ultimate Big Band! Cocktails at 6:30 at the Omni; dinner at
7:30. For tickets ...
more...

Mar 10, 2014Safeway Merger Underlines Importance of Union
Friday’s announcement
of the merger of Albertson’s and Safeway was a reminder of the importance of
being a union member. “In our Union contract, we have language that requires
any purchaser to agree to take our contract and all its benefits and to hire
all of the current employees and...
more...

Mar 7, 2014What We're Reading: Labor News Roundup
In the D.C. fire
department, a cold war simmers between the chief and the rank and file , Washington Post, March 1: In the past three years, the
D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department has been ravaged byplummeting
morale, strife between the rank and file (members of...
more...

Mar 7, 2014Solidarity Center Series Highlights Women's Day 2014
Each day this week, leading up to International
Women’s Day on March 8 , the Solidarity Center has been highlighting an example of
how women and their unions are taking action to improve women’s lives on the
job, in their unions and in their communities. Check out the series...
more...

Mar 7, 2014Labor Endorsement Update
Nurses
Endorse Vincent Orange for DC Mayor, Back Jim Graham, Charles Allen for Council : National
Nurses United, the nation's largest union and professional association of
registered nurses, this week announced its endorsement of Councilmember Vincent
Orange in the District of...
more...

Mar 7, 2014UFCW 400 Joins Local 23 for Good Jobs Healthy Pittsburgh Action
Macy's member (UFCW
400) Kimberly Mitchell (photo) went to Pittsburgh on Monday, March 3, joining her union
brothers and sisters at UFCW Local 23 for the Good Jobs Healthy Pittsburgh
action protesting low wages at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Pro-union...
more...

Mar 3, 2014Unite Here 23 Wins Golden Picket Sign Award
The fight
for workplace rights and decent wages for fast food workers and low-wage
employees of federal contractors caught fire in 2013 as these workers walked
out of their workplaces and onto the front pages of newspapers here and across
the country to dramatize their demands for...
more...

Mar 3, 2014UFW to Host "Cesar Chavez" Screening Fundraiser in DC
The United Farm Workers
union is hosting a fundraiser on the opening weekend for “Cesar Chavez,” the
new movie about the charismatic UFW founder. The film stars Michael Peña,
America Ferrera, Rosario Dawson and John Malkovich and is directed by Diego
Luna. The fundraiser will be...
more...

Mar 3, 2014MontCo Young Dems Award "Old Bull" to UFCW 1994’s Gino Renne
The Montgomery
County Young Democrats presented UFCW 1994/MCGEO president Gino Renne (holding award) with the 'Old Bull of the
Democratic Party' award last week. “We honor his long-standing support for
building the progressive movement forward,” said the Young...
more...

Feb 28, 2014Solidarity Center Report: Bangladesh Union Organizers Attacked
A Bangladesh garment worker leader and four union organizers were badly injured
in recent days when about two dozen people beat, kicked and threw them to the
ground as they were speaking to workers. According to several witnesses,
factory managers carried out the attack with others, some of...
more...

Feb 28, 2014AFGE 17 Wins 2013 Organizing Award
AFGE Local 17 – which represents workers
at the US Department of Veterans Affairs – is the 2013 Evening with Labor
Organizing Award winner. Tickets for the March 15 event are still available:
email kmckirchy@dclaborarchives.org . Local 17
scored a phenomenal 102.67% increase in...
more...

Feb 28, 2014Labor Endorsement Update: AFGE District 14 Endorses Gray for DC Mayor
The 14th District of the
American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO, has announced its
endorsement of D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray. “The mayor’s stance on making all D.C.
employees essential during the federal government shutdown and paying back D.C.
employees from the 2011 four day...
more...

Feb 27, 2014Maryland State Employees Ratify New Contract
Maryland State employees have voted
by a large margin to ratify a one year contract securing a pay raise,
resumption of pay step increases and other economic benefits. The contract was
ratified 4,756 to 81 in a ballot count on Feb 18. “It’s a good day for all hard
working state employees...
more...

Feb 26, 2014Arbitrator Upholds DC Firefighter Concerns
DC Firefighters won a resounding victory
when a recent arbitration decision adopted all of the union’s positions over
those of the DC Fire Department. The arbitrator reserved particularly strong
language for a proposed shift change that raises “serious potential safety
concerns.” IAFF...
more...

Feb 26, 2014What We're Reading: Labor News Roundup
Activists Win Coordinated Wage
Boost in D.C., Nearby Counties - Labor Notes
In
December lawmakers in Washington, D.C. and two neighboring Maryland counties
voted to raise the minimum wage to $11.50 per hour in all three jurisdictions.
It was a regional cooperation unprecedented in...
more...

Feb 24, 2014UFCW 1994 Urges Support of Super Shuttle Workers
Citing a long history of worker abuse by Super Shuttle parent company Veolia
International, UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO is asking area activists to urge Maryland
legislators to support HB 917 , which would force the company to negotiate
with the drivers or lose their lucrative BWI contract. The...
more...

Feb 19, 2014Evening with Labor Ad Deadline Monday
With the 37 th annual Evening with Labor just weeks away, the
deadline for ads in the program book is this coming Monday, February 24 at 5p; click
here for the ad form or to order tickets . “Tickets are going fast,”
for the March 15 event, says Evening with Labor Chair Fred Allen....
more...

Feb 19, 2014Prince George's County School Custodians' Efforts Recognized
Custodians of the Prince George’s County Public School System were recognized
during the January 23 Board of Education meeting for the services that they
provide “in making our schools clean and safe havens for the students and staff
of Prince George’s County,” reports SEIU 400 PG’s...
more...

Feb 19, 2014CLUW Conference Offers Scholarships to Young Women
The Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) will bring 10 young women to their
3-day Women’s Leadership Skills Conference this year on scholarship. The
scholarship has been awarded by the Berger Marks Foundation, which supports
young women working in social justice. The conference, taking...
more...

Feb 18, 2014In Memoriam: IBEW 1900's Edward Healey
Edward Healey, an Underground Cable Splicer Mechanic
-- and IBEW Local 1900 member -- was en route to a job last Friday, February
14, with a co-worker when they stopped to help a motorist stranded in the snow,
reports Local 1900 president Jim Griffin. "Ed became ill and was taken by
ambulance...
more...

Feb 17, 2014Treasury Employees Launch Pro-Federal Worker Ad Campaign
Saying it’s time to “change the conversation”
about federal workers and their jobs, the National Treasury Employees Union
(NTEU) is launching a pro-federal worker public service ad campaign . The
year-long drive, the union’s third such effort in five years, is expected to
play in 90%...
more...

Feb 17, 2014ATU Seeks Federal Probe Of Attacks On Transit Drivers
The Amalgamated
Transit Union (ATU) wants the federal government to probe passenger attacks on
transit drivers after a spate of recent assaults. The most recent attack, on
Feb. 10, saw a female passenger assault a D.C. Metrobus driver – a member of
ATU Local 689 – with a can of Mace. A...
more...

Feb 14, 2014DC COPE Interviews DC City Council Candidates
Union members gathered
last Tuesday to interview eight candidates running for the DC City Council in
wards 1, 3, 5, 6, as well as in the At-Large and Chair races. “It was a
good opportunity to hear candidates’ visions for the city and to ask probing
questions on labor issues”...
more...

Feb 14, 2014Community Supports Bestway Workers
"This morning we stood
with the community as they delivered a letter to the manager on duty (who
didn't want to take the letter at first)," UFCW 400 said Wednesday in a
Facebook post. "The community is concerned about their friends and
neighbors who work in their Bestway store in Silver...
more...

Feb 12, 2014COPE Meeting Rescheduled
Due to the expected storm tomorrow, the COPE
meeting scheduled for Thursday, February 13 has been rescheduled for next
Thursday, February 20. The meeting on the 20th will start at 10a in UFCW 400’s
4th-floor conference room, 4301 Garden City Drive, Landover, MD.
-
Rick Powell,...
more...

Feb 12, 2014MTA Okays CSA as a Preferred Training Provider
The Community Services Agency has been accepted as a preferred training provider by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), joining the apprenticeship programs of Plumbers and Pipefitters UA Local 5, Iron Workers Local 5, Mid-Atlantic Carpenters Training Centers, and Steamfitters UA 602...
more...

Feb 12, 2014Love with a Union Label
This Friday, you can give your valentine some union-made sweets, toast your love with champagne that carries a union label or touch up your pheromones with some smell-good union-made scents. It turns out there are many union-made treats you can give out on Valentine's Day. The iconic...
more...

Feb 12, 2014Labor On The Move: David Cohen Retiring from DPE
David Cohen, Executive Director of the Department for Professional Employees,
AFL-CIO (DPE), is retiring. A reception in his honor will be held today,
Wednesday, February 12 from 2-4 pm at the AFL-CIO (RSVP to Marcie Lawrence at mlawrence@dpeaflcio.org ). Cohen
joined DPE in 2002 and became...
more...

Feb 11, 2014Federal Workers Demand "Shared Prosperity, Not Austerity"
Federal union
members – in town for AFGE’s annual legislative conference – staged two events
yesterday, rallying at noon (right)
at the U.S. Capitol to demand “Shared Prosperity, Not Austerity”
and then holding a candlelight vigil at 5p to remember the lives of fallen...
more...

Feb 10, 2014Labor Endorsement Update
AFSCME Council 20 on February 6 announced its
endorsement of Vince Gray in the DC mayoral campaign. Gray, Council 20
executive director Geo T. Johnson told City
Paper , had delivered on promised salary bumps that he made to
District employees when Council 20 endorsed him in 2010. The Metro...
more...

Feb 10, 2014Ethics Charges Against Top D.C. Judge "Vindication," Union Says
The District’s
chief administrative law judge was charged with engaging in retaliation against
rank and file administrative law judges last Thursday, when the Board of Ethics
and Government Accountability alleged 19
counts of wrongdoing against Mary Oates Walker, the chief judge and top...
more...

Feb 10, 2014Evening With Labor Ad Deadline Coming Up
Excitement’s building for the upcoming
37th annual Evening With Labor on March 15 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel,
featuring a reception with local labor and political leaders, awards, dinner
and entertainment by The Ultimate Big Band. Click
here to reserve your tickets and/or ad space...
more...

Feb 7, 2014What We're Reading Today: Labor News Roundup
DC police union head blasts arbitration decision , WTOP
A war of words between the
D.C. police union and Mayor Vincent Gray's office has reached a fever pitch
following an arbitrator's ruling on officer wages Monday. Police officers have not
received a raise in six years as the union has...
more...

Feb 7, 2014Report: MD Working Families Still Struggling
Working families in Maryland
continue to struggle to move ahead in an uncertain economy. That’s the central
finding in a new report released yesterday by the Progressive Maryland
Education Fund and Maryland Center on Economic Policy, "The State of Working Maryland 2013" . Nearly
600,000...
more...

Feb 7, 2014IBEW 1900 Members Head North to Help
With the Delmarva area hard-hit by Tuesday’s ice storm, some 20 members – ten
2-person teams -- of IBEW Local 1900 headed north to help restore power,
reports Local 1900 president Jim Griffin. “Conditions were pretty harsh but
that’s just what we do,” Griffin told Union
City ....
more...

Feb 7, 2014Cambodian Embassy Targeted in Global Day of Action Monday Morning
Local activists will rally outside the Cambodian Embassy at 8:30a
Monday morning to demand the release of 23 protesters arrested while
demonstrating for a higher wage for garment workers last month. The DC demo is
part of a global day of action at Cambodian embassies that will protest the...
more...

Feb 7, 2014Solidarity Center Report: Deadly Turn for Central American Unionists
The murder last week of Victor Manuel Crespo Puerto (right) , father of Honduran union leader
Victor Crespo, is the latest in a deadly turn for trade unionists in Central
America. Already this year, two unionists have received death threats in
Honduras, one unionist has been murdered in El...
more...

Feb 7, 2014EJC Celebrates Winning Year
With plenty of work to be
done in the year ahead, DC Employment Justice Center (EJC) Executive Director
Barbra Kavanaugh recently took a moment to look back at the organization’s
accomplishments in 2013. “The EJC and its pro bono attorney partners received
$744,591.12 in awards and...
more...

Feb 5, 2014Labor Shorts
Federal unions want Obama to use his executive power to act on their wish list (Washington Post, January 30) : Federal labor leaders perked up during last week’s State of the Union address when President Obama pledged to make 2014 “a year of action.” Hands-on Courses Offered at...
more...

Feb 5, 2014Kroger Shoppers, Workers Mobilize To Keep Galax, VA, Store Open
When Kroger
announced on January 17 that it planned to close its legacy store in Galax,
VA., workers and customers swiftly mobilized to keep the store open. The Galax
Kroger has been a community fixture since 1931 in the small town seven miles
from the North Carolina border. Upset at the...
more...

Feb 5, 2014Young Workers Get Boost from Training Program
Students from all three cohorts of the Hospitality Express 4 Success program
graduated January 29 and received their industry-recognized certifications and
completion certificates. The program provided a 15-week training program
operated by a partnership including the Community Services...
more...

Feb 5, 2014Labor On The Move: AFSCME 3976's Larry Mcclain-El Retires
After 42 years of service in government, Larry McClain-El (l) of the Foreign
Agricultural Service’s (FAS) Office of Capacity Building and Development has
retired. McClain-El served “almost half of those years as either union officer
or a proactive member,” reports AFSCME 3976,...
more...

Feb 3, 2014Pete Seeger Film Screens Tuesday
"Pete
Seeger: The Power of Song" will screen tomorrow night at Busboys & Poets, with a singalong led by members of
the DC Labor Chorus. Seeger -- who died last week ( Iconic Folk Singer Pete Seeger,
Pro-Worker Troubadour, Dies At 94 1/28 UC) --...
more...

Feb 3, 2014Tarlau Vows to Move Labor Movement Forward in Annapolis
Dozens of labor leaders filled the room last Thursday for a
fundraising event for Jimmy Tarlau, the CWA District 2-13 Vice-President
and Mount Rainier City Councilmember who's running for Maryland State Delegate
in District 47A. Tarlau told the gathering that he's running "so that I...
more...

Feb 3, 2014An Open And Shut Case
In early December, Eric Gulan
strode across a drop cloth on the carpeted office floor of AFL-CIO
Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth Shuler, overlooking Lafayette Park across from
the White House in Washington, D.C. He and three of his fellow union glaziers
hammered out caulking to remove the...
more...

Feb 3, 2014Labor Song: Mill Mother's Lament, by Pete Seeger
Pete
Seeger, who died last week at the age of 94, was the grand old man of labor and
folk music. His career dated back more than half a century, to his time
in the Almanac Singers and the Weavers, when he sang alongside Woody Guthrie
and other greats. Branded a Communist in the...
more...

Feb 3, 2014Labor Quiz: Union Workers and Productivity
This
Week's Quiz: Research shows that the
productivity of workers goes up when they are unionized. In the
manufacturing sector, productivity is how much higher when the employees have
unions? Between 3 and 7 percent; Between 8 and 13 percent; Between 14 and
18...
more...

Jan 31, 2014CSA Awarded CityCenterDC Grant
The
Community Services Agency is one of just four nonprofits awarded grants by
Hines and the TFI US Real Estate Fund, developers of CityCenterDC, a 10-acre
parcel in the heart of the District currently being transformed into a blend of
residences, offices, shopping, restaurants, hotel and...
more...

Jan 31, 2014Super Union Bowl
Union
football fans can demonstrate solidarity on Super Bowl Sunday ,
not just by cheering on their favorite NFL Players Association ( NFLPA )
members, but also buying union-made-in-America food and drinks for their party.
Check out these union-made Super Bowl party
products ,...
more...

Jan 31, 2014In Memoriam: Ruthaleen Edwards
“We are deeply saddened to report the passing of Mrs. Ruthaleen Edwards (right) ,
mother of our very own Secretary-Treasurer, Donna Edwards,” reports the
Maryland State and District of Columbia AFL-CIO. Viewing is today from
2-4p and 6-8p and the funeral is Saturday,...
more...

Jan 31, 2014What We're Reading Today: Labor News Roundup
OPM Plans To Trim 356 Employees In March , Washington
Post
“It’s disheartening and sad,” said
Charletta McNeill, president of the American Federation of Government Employees
Local 32, which represents many of the affected workers. “When you receive a...
more...

Jan 29, 2014Metro Council Postpones Mayoral Endorsements
After a marathon session Monday
interviewing all seven candidates running for DC Mayor, the Metropolitan
Washington Council decided to postpone endorsements until next month. “We
thank all the affiliates for attending Monday’s intensive eight-hour long
session to ask probing...
more...

Jan 29, 2014Vigil Today to Protest Mistreatment of Indian Domestic Workers
The National
Domestic Workers Alliance, the AFL-CIO and others will hold a peaceful vigil this afternoon to protest the Indian government’s
mistreatment of domestic workers and call for stronger labor laws that protect
domestic workers who frequently face workplace exploitation. The...
more...

Jan 29, 2014Tarlau Reception Tomorrow Night
The time for tomorrow’s reception for Jimmy Tarlau (right) , Democratic
Candidate for MD State Delegate District 47A has been changed. It will now
start at 6p and end at 8p; the location is still SEIU Local 400, 5132 Baltimore
Ave., Hyattsville, MD. The long-time union activist,...
more...

Jan 28, 2014Iconic Folk Singer Pete Seeger, Pro-Worker Troubadour, Dies At 94
Iconic folk singer Pete Seeger, who initially rose to fame as an outspoken
pro-worker troubadour – “We Shall Overcome” was originally a union song – died
Jan. 28 after a brief illness. He was
94. Seeger never made a secret of his pro-worker stands, even when they got him
into...
more...

Jan 27, 2014Council Delegate Meeting Tonight

Jan 27, 2014UFCW 1994 Joins Coalition to Protect MontCo Water Supply
UFCW Local 1994
MCGEO has joined a growing number of environmental, labor, and other
organizations to urge Montgomery County Council members to protect Ten Mile
Creek (right) ,
part of the backup water supply for more than three million people in the
metropolitan Washington area....
more...

Jan 27, 2014Jan. 31 Deadline Looms For Union Plus Scholarship Applications
The clock is
ticking down for unionists and their families to apply for Union Plus college scholarships , the Union Privilege
Benefits Program warns. Electronic applications are due by noon, Jan. 31.
Winners receive scholarships ranging from $500 to $4,000 yearly to help defray...
more...

Jan 27, 2014ILCA Hosts Local Labor Communicators Tomorrow Night
Local labor communicators are invited to the International Labor Communicators
Association’s first networking reception of the year tomorrow, January 28 from
6-8p at the IBEW (900 Seventh Street NW) “We are pleased to offer this opportunity to allow fellow labor
communicators to...
more...

Jan 27, 2014Union Bowlers Strike for Those in Need
More than 70 teams participated in yesterday's 22nd annual "Bowling for Gold" Union Bowling Tournament, their strikes, spares (and gutterballs) raising funds for the Community Services Agency (CSA) of the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO. Team photos are posted on the Council's...
more...

Jan 24, 2014Cool Labor Site: Wage Theft
This is the central place to find information if you are looking into your
options after having been cheated out of wages, or if you are simply looking to
learn the basics regarding the issue of wage theft.
more...

Jan 24, 2014Council Delegate Meeting Set for Monday at AFSCME IU
Get the latest
local labor news and updates at this month’s Metro Council Delegate’s meeting , next Monday, January 27.
The meeting time is 6:30p, as usual, but note that the meeting will be held in
the AFSCME international’s first-floor board room at 1625 L Street, NW. Draft...
more...

Jan 24, 2014Labor-Endorsed Candidate Wins VA Senate Seat
After weeks of door-knocking in extreme
weather conditions and phone banking to turn out the labor vote, NoVA Labor
members joined in the celebration Tuesday evening when endorsed candidate
Jennifer Wexton won
a special election to fill the open 33 rd district state senate seat
in...
more...

Jan 24, 2014Maryland Renter's Concerns Raised in Annapolis at First
Renters from across Maryland rolled into
Annapolis last week as part of the first-ever "Renter Day in
Annapolis," sponsored by the Renters Alliance and a coalition of community, civic and
labor locals including UFCW Local 1994, which represents nearly 10,000 public
employees. More than 100...
more...

Jan 22, 2014Bowling Update
All the 10am lanes are gone
in this Sunday's 22nd annual "Bowling for Gold" Union Bowling Tournament "but
we can still take a few teams at 1p" reports CSA Executive Director
Kathleen McKirchy. "And it won't be snowing!" she promises. Email her
at ...
more...

Jan 22, 2014Pentagon Workers Strike Over Poverty Pay
Just days before President Obama delivers his State of the Union remarks, federally contracted food servers and janitorial workers at the Pentagon and four other U.S. government buildings walked off their jobs Wednesday morning, calling on President Obama to sign an executive order ensuring...
more...

Jan 20, 2014Right to Strike Reaffirmed in NLRB Settlement with Unity Disposal
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has reached a settlement agreement with Unity Disposal and Recycling over the company’s firing of workers who went on strike last October. Unity will repay the 42 workers for wages lost during the strike and will post a notice promising not to violate...
more...

Jan 20, 2014Protest Over Shuttle Driver Firings Set for Today in Baltimore
Members of UFCW Local 1994 and Baltimore-based "We Deserve Better Workers Assembly" will protest Veolia Corp.'s firing of two of its Super Shuttle drivers and the drivers' horrific working conditions today at 3p at Veolia's Corporate Headquarters in Baltimore. The groups are also rallying to...
more...

Jan 20, 2014NOVA Labor GOTV Effort for Tuesday Election Goes Down to the Wire
Union members representing 17 international unions swarmed Virginia's 33rd state senate district last Saturday urging labor households to vote in tomorrow's special election. Labor- endorsed candidate Jennifer Wexton (center) thanked the volunteers, reminding them that just nine votes were the...
more...

Jan 17, 2014Labor Endorsement Update
UFCW
Locals 400, 1994 & 27 have endorsed Anthony Brown for Maryland Governor.
Brown had previous been endorsed by the Maryland State and DC AFL-CIO. Unite
Here Local 25 earlier this week endorsed Vincent Gray for a second term as DC
mayor. The Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO has not...
more...

Jan 17, 2014Evening With Labor Set for March 15
The
37th Annual Evening With Labor is coming up March 15 .
Ads in the program book are $500 for a full-page, $250 half, $125 quarter, $50
business card and for an additional $100, your name will be prominently
displayed on the giant video screens during the dinner and reception. Dinner...
more...

Jan 17, 2014Control of VA State Senate at Stake in Tuesday's Election
Labor-to-labor walkers tomorrow will enjoy much better weather
than last Saturday’s crew, which “braved chilly temperatures and constant rain
to knock on labor doors in Virginia's 33rd District for endorsed candidate
Jennifer Wexton (right) ,”
reports NoVA...
more...

Jan 15, 20142014 Affiliate Directory Update Deadline Today
Today’s the deadline to update
your local’s info for the 2014 Metro Council Directory of
Local Affiliates. Council affiliates should have received a hard-copy mailing
recently, which can be corrected and faxed back to us at 202-974-8152, or email
changes...
more...

Jan 15, 2014NABET-CWA Members Finally Get Signed Contract at WHUT
The four members of NABET-CWA Local 31 at WHUT-Howard University finally have a
signed contract. NABET-CWA had been forced to file a new Unfair Labor Practice
(ULP) charge at WHUT after management refused to sign the ratified contract in
December. The NLRB had previously issued a complaint...
more...

Jan 15, 2014Election Updates at Thursday's NoVA Labor Meeting
This month’s NoVA Labor meeting – tomorrow at 7p at the NoVA Labor office –
features an update on the upcoming special elections on the Eastern Shore and
in the SD 33. Labor-to-labor phonebanks and walks (the next is this Saturday ) continue as well. “These elections will
determine...
more...

Jan 15, 2014Reception Tonight Celebrates Area Wins on Minimum Wage
The local labor community and its allies will celebrate the successful
campaigns to raise the minimum wage across the metro DC area tonight at the AFL-CIO. Top officers of the AFL-CIO will
join Metro Council president Jos Williams, elected officials, labor leaders and
community allies...
more...

Jan 15, 2014Maryland Minimum Wage Campaign Gets High-Level Boost
Hundreds of minimum wage supporters cheered last night as Maryland Governor
Martin O’Malley and Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown pledged to raise the state’s
minimum wage to $10.10 by 2016 and then index it to inflation. The rally in
front of the state capitol in Annapolis drew elected officials,...
more...

Jan 13, 2014January Council Meeting Reminder
Because
of the MLK Day holiday, this month’s Metro Council Delegate’s meeting will be
held on Monday,
January 27 . The meeting time is 6:30p, as usual, but note
that the meeting will be held in the AFSCME international’s first-floor board
room at 1625 L Street, NW.
more...

Jan 13, 2014Labor On The Move: Hauser in at AFL-CIO; Danaher Moves to TWU
Eric
Hauser Named Strategic Advisor and Director of Communications for
AFL-CIO: Eric Hauser (right) ,
founder and president of the Hauser Group, will join the AFL-CIO as Strategic
Advisor and Director of Communications. He will assume a role currently held by
Denise...
more...

Jan 10, 2014HUD Ranks as "Worst Place to Work"; Union Urges Participation
The news that the
Department of Housing and Urban Development ranked as one of the worst
places to work in the Federal Government was no surprise to the union that
represents workers there. “Most of us are aware of morale’s downward spiral
across the Department in the past few...
more...

Jan 10, 2014Get Up, Get Out and Move
If you’ve been thinking about signing up for CSA’s
annual “Bowling for Gold” tournament, now’s the time. Join lots of area union
members “a few of whom can actually bowl!” says CSA’s Kathleen McKirchy, on
Sunday, January 26 at the Crofton Bowling Centre in Crofton, Maryland...
more...

Jan 10, 2014Help Pick Winners in IBEW Photo Contest
The 15 finalists in the Electrical Workers
(IBEW) annual photo contest have been selected, and you can help choose who
takes home the top honors. The photos, shot by IBEW members across the country,
showcased an array of stunning images—displaying that talent extends far beyond
the tool...
more...

Jan 10, 2014Giving Season Continues
Marcia Reid, an OPEIU Local 2 Executive Board member who
works at AFT, presented a $600 check to Community Services Agency Executive
Director Kathleen McKirchy last Friday. The check represented proceeds from the
AFT staff Christmas party 50-50 raffle to raise funds for CSA’s...
more...

Jan 8, 2014Minimum Wage Increase Tops Labor Agenda in MD
Efforts to raise
Maryland's minimum wage will be front and center during the 2014 legislative
session in Annapolis, which begins at noon today .
" Raising the minimum wage will establish a higher floor and help us in bargaining," said Maryland State & DC AFL-CIO president Fred...
more...

Jan 8, 2014Local Labor Communicators Meet Friday
Local labor communicators should plan to be at Friday’s meeting of the Local Labor Communicators group, “which is dedicated to ensuring that we have the latest and most effective communications tools, tips and techniques,” says Metro Washington Council Union Cities
Coordinator...
more...

Jan 6, 2014State Fed Legislative Conference Today
The Maryland State
and District of Columbia AFL-CIO’S 2014 Maryland General Assembly Legislative
Conference runs from 1-4P today at the state fed’s offices in Annapolis. The agenda
includes a brief overview and discussion of major aspects of the 2014 Maryland
General Assembly, broad...
more...

Jan 6, 2014NoVA Labor Gears Up for Special Election This Month
“It wouldn’t be Virginia if we didn’t have a special election,” reports NoVA
Labor president Dan Duncan. The Virginia AFL-CIO has endorsed Jennifer Wexton (right) in the race to fill
Attorney General-elect Mark Herring’s Senate District 33 seat. The election
will be held on...
more...

Jan 3, 2014IG Confirms Critical Staffing Shortages at DC Fire Dept
A report released last month by the
DC Office of theInspector General confirmed what Fire Fighters Local 36 has
been saying all along. “We are severely understaffed, even though fully
funded,” Local 36 said, “and those shortages have driven the department to a
critical breaking...
more...

Jan 3, 2014Big Month For Workers' Issues At Supreme Court
By Mark Gruenberg, PAI Staff Writer January will be an active month for workers at the U.S. Supreme
Court. The justices will hear arguments
in the long-running political dispute over the power of the National Labor
Relations Board and then tackle a case involving yet another Radical...
more...

Dec 23, 2013Activism Carries the Day in Minimum Wage Campaign
Thanks to the support of thousands
of area activists, the D.C. Council unanimously passed a bill last week that
raises the minimum wage to $11.50 an hour by 2016 and ensures paid sick days
for all D.C. workers, including tipped workers. “This couldn’t have happened
without your...
more...

Dec 23, 2013IBEW Delivers for the Needy
IBEW
national office staff and members of OPEIU Local 2 adopted two area families
and collected food and over $1,200 of cash and gifts cards for each family
through the Community Services Agency’s Holiday Basket program. “Thanks so much
to all the area unions and members who dug deep...
more...

Dec 23, 2013IBEW 26 Gives Students Gift of Music
Too often when school boards face budget shortfalls, music education is
the first to go. But for Washington, D.C. students, music in the classroom is alive and well thanks to a donation from Local 26 and CBS EcoMedia. The $30,000 grant to the non-profit organization Little Kids Rock will...
more...

Dec 18, 2013DC Council Passes Minimum Wage & Paid Sick Day Bills
In a major win for local labor and community
activists, the DC City Council yesterday passed bills increasing the minimum
wage and extending Paid Sick Days to restaurant employees. “Thank you
everyone for all your hard work,” said Metro Washington Council Assistant...
more...

Dec 18, 2013Labor On The Move: Ann Miller Moves to IBEW
Calling her “indispensable to the Federation’s political program,” AFL-CIO
Political Director Michael Podhorzer recently announced the departure of Ann
Miller after 14 years at the AFL-CIO. “To say that we will miss Ann at the Federation
is a gross understatement,” said...
more...

Dec 18, 2013Gray Wins "Scrooge of the Year" Award
DC Mayor Vincent Gray won the 2013 Scrooge of the Year
award at DC Jobs with Justice’s Winter Masquerade Party. For "vetoing the
Large Retailer Accountability Act and putting Walmart ahead of workers"
and for "spearheading the privatization of our public transit," Gray
beat out Metro CEO...
more...

Dec 18, 2013Giant & Safeway Workers Overwhelmingly Approve Deal
Giant and Safeway members voted overwhelmingly yesterday to ratify a
new, three-year collective bargaining agreement that preserves their health and
retirement security and increases wages. "This is one of the best retail
food contracts in the country," said Local 400 President Mark P....
more...

Dec 18, 2013Great Need, Many Ways to Help
In this season of giving, Community Services Agency Executive Director Kathleen
McKirchy reminds us "There are several ways to help working people in
need." If United Way, CFC or One Fund Campaigns are still happening at
your worksite, designate your contribution to CSA: Designation...
more...

Dec 18, 2013MontCo Temporary Workers Made Whole
"Today is a new beginning for all of us," said Osseynou Dieng, a
Montgomery County Urban District “red shirt” and shop steward for UFCW 1994
MCGEO. The union recently reached an agreement with Montgomery County making
the Urban District “red shirts,” highway inspectors, and temps in...
more...

Dec 18, 2013Metro Council Meeting Highlights
AFSCME 2910 won a dedicated smoking area outside on
Library of Congress grounds…Musicians 161-710 finally got a contract -- 3
years, 2% per year -- at the National Theatre…IATSE 22 won arbitration at
Strathmore Fine Arts Center to ensure payment for additional hours on artist
Q&A...
more...

Dec 12, 2013DC Labor Says Farewell to Nelson Mandela
"When the bay area longshoremen refused to unload cargo from South African ships to protest apartheid, that's when we knew that we would see victory in our lifetime," said South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool (far left) at Monday night's labor memorial service for Nelson Mandela. Some 120...
more...

Dec 12, 2013Providence DC RNs Vote To Unionize
Braving freezing rain and snow that shut down parts of the federal government, registered nurses at Providence Hospital in Washington, DC Tuesday night became the first area non-union hospital in decades to vote to join a union. In an election greeted by cheers and tears, the Providence RNs...
more...

Dec 12, 2013Tentative Agreement Reached with Giant, Safeway
UFCW Local 400 announced yesterday that it's reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with Giant and Safeway covering 17,000 workers. Members will vote on whether to ratify this agreement on December 17. The previous contract expired on October 31 and has been extended twice. If approved,...
more...

Dec 6, 2013Challenges Ahead For Regional Plan To Raise Minimum Wage
A regional plan to raise the minimum wage in the metro Washington area may hit an unexpected roadblock: the Maryland legislature. That’s because Free State lawmakers are considering a two-part minimum wage law, according to Bob Ross, president of the Prince George’s County NAACP. One...
more...

Dec 6, 2013Celebrating Mandela's Legacy
Nelson Mandela’s life and legacy were honored and celebrated worldwide as news of his death spread around the globe. “During his visit to the United States in 1990, Mandela spoke to the AFL-CIO and called on the labor movement to use its history of empowering America’s workers as a model...
more...

Dec 5, 2013ALEC Legislators Try To Hide In Plain Sight
“Are you state legislators?” Hand outstretched, Arlene Holt Baker approached the group of well-dressed men gathered in the atrium of the Grand Hyatt. The men’s smiles quickly vanished when Diallo Brooks asked them to sign a pledge that they would put their “constituents first – before...
more...

Dec 5, 2013Iron Workers Fight for Justice at Lyn-Phill and Dominion Rebar
The DC Iron Workers Movement for Justice reports “great success” in their campaign for equitable conditions for the workers of Lyn-Phill Construction and Dominion Rebar. “These companies have a history of labor rights and OSHA violations and are currently working on large public works...
more...

Dec 5, 2013Smithsonian Workers Join National 1-Day Fast Food Strike
"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, it’s no fun to survive on low low low low pay." The mood was festive with holiday carols but the message serious as hundreds of striking workers rallied in front of the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum Thursday as part of a massive national...
more...

Dec 5, 2013Labor Photo (2): Supermarket Solidarity
Saying that "We're STILL willing to do what it takes for a fair contract," UFCW 400 members gathered customer support at Giant 350 in Silver Spring, MD on Thursday. photo courtesy UFCW 400
more...

Dec 5, 2013Labor Photo (1): MontCo Minimum Wage Increase Signed
Thursday’s signing of the Montgomery County bill raising the minimum wage was attended by labor, community and political allies, including DC City Council Chair Phil Mendelson, demonstrating the regional approach to increasing basic wages in the area. photos/collage courtesy UFCW 400
more...

Dec 5, 2013Solidarity Center Report: Labor Mourns Nelson Mandela
Working people worldwide yesterday marked the loss of former South African President Nelson Mandela, whose unyielding struggle to attain equality, human dignity and social justice for his countrymen and women will remain an inspiration to all who still carry on the fight for human rights....
more...

Dec 4, 2013DC Council OK's Minimum Wage Hike With CPI Indexing
The DC City Council
yesterday unanimously approved legislation that would raise the minimum wage in
the District to $11.50 by 2016, one year earlier than Montgomery and Prince
George’s counties ( DC, MontCo and PG Vote to Raise Minimum Wage 12/1 UC) .
The DC bill also includes...
more...

Dec 3, 2013Labor On The Move: AFGE 631's Roscoe Ridley Retires
Former AFGE 631 president Roscoe Ridley will celebrate his retirement on January 10 after more than three decades years in the federal government. Ridley’s 34-year career includes stints with the Department of Labor Washington DC and Federal Aviation Administration where he served as a Labor...
more...

Dec 3, 2013CWA 2108 Offers Peek Inside The Telecom World
For a chilling but fascinating look behind the scenes
at how technological change – and plain old greed – is affecting local telecom
jobs, check out the November edition of CWA 2108’s newsletter. The cover story, “VCSI
Closes Doors After 17 Years, Lays Off All Workers”...
more...

Dec 3, 2013Twice The Joy: Two DC Labor Chorus Holiday Concerts This Saturday
With songs sung in Spanish, Hebrew and English and spanning South African, African-American, British, Israeli and Peruvian traditions, the annual DC Labor Chorus concert this Saturday (link) departs from the usual holiday fare. The program includes the Hebrew peace song, “Shir l’shalom,”...
more...

Dec 1, 2013DC, MontCo and PG Vote to Raise Minimum Wage
Three votes
last week kept the metro Washington area on the cutting edge of efforts across
the country to increase the minimum wage, but fell significantly short of
supporters’ hopes. A DC City Council committee last Monday unanimously approved
a bill that would raise the city’s minimum...
more...

Nov 27, 2013Labor Photo: Rosies Shine After Labor FilmFest
“Our Rosies enjoyed being a part of the DC Labor Film Festival,” writes Margie Streicker, Secretary of the Laurel MD Chapter of the American Rosie the Riveter Association. “They even wore their new FilmFest shirts to our next meeting. Thank you for making the Rosies feel very honored!”...
more...

Nov 27, 2013"Light" Work for Iron Workers at DAR HQ
Iron worker strength and skill were called on recently when the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) needed the “lay lights” in their DC headquarters removed and then reinstalled. Essentially massive interior windows, the lay lights in the ceiling and above two prominent...
more...

Nov 26, 2013Letter Carrier Murder Raises Concerns
The murder of letter carrier Tyson Jerome
Barnette in a Landover neighborhood after dark last Saturday night is raising staffing concerns for a local letter carrier union leader. “The
primary reason for letter carriers being out late delivering mail…is a lack of
manpower and late...
more...

Nov 25, 2013DC Fire Fighter Going to Harvard
Ed Smith is going Ivy League. The Fire Fighters Local 36 president has been awarded an IAFF scholarship to attend the 2014 Harvard Trade Union Program, a 6-week program that runs from early January to mid-February. “I hope this demonstrates my commitment to continue to learn and grow as a...
more...

Nov 25, 2013AFGE 17 Organizing Efforts Lauded
The organizing efforts of AFGE Local 17 – which represents workers at the US Department of Veterans Affairs -- were recognized last week by AFGE’s National VA Council (NVAC) for having “helped make a very positive difference” within NVAC, which represents all 200,000 plus...
more...

Nov 25, 2013MontCo & PG Minimum Wage Votes Set for This Week
Two important votes to increase area minimum wages will be taken this week. On Tuesday, November 26th the Montgomery County Council will vote on a bill increasing the county minimum wage. The next day, Wednesday, November 27, the Prince George’s County Council will vote to increase their...
more...

Nov 21, 2013Operating Engineers Considering Strike
For the first time in decades, local operating engineers are considering a strike. Members of IUOE Local 99 recently voted down eight separate proposed agreements with EMCOR Government Services, the local’s largest signatory company, Local 99 organizer Eamon Clifford reported at...
more...

Nov 21, 2013CSA's News You Can Use: Tornado Relief
“So many of our brothers’ and sisters’ homes were totally destroyed,” reports Connie Higgins of the AFL-CIO Community Services in Peoria, IL, sister organization of the Metro Washington Council’s Community Services Agency. “Anyone interested in donating to help the folks in our...
more...

Nov 21, 2013Metro Access Workers Reach Tentative Agreement with Veolia
After nearly six months of negotiations, ATU Local 1764 has reached a tentative agreement with Veolia Transportation that covers approximately 450 drivers, dispatchers and maintenance personnel working out of the Capitol Heights garage, the largest Metro Access facility. The deal, which is being...
more...

Nov 21, 2013Client Stories Kick Off IBEW United Way Campaign
Staff and management of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) kicked off this year’s headquarters United Way campaign with stories of some of the Community Services Agency’s emergency assistance clients and how important the help provided was to these working families....
more...

Nov 21, 2013DC Pols Join Grocery Worker Rally at O Street Giant's Grand Opening
Political and community leaders joined an informational picket by Giant and Safeway workers in front of Giant's grand opening at 8th and O Street NW Thursday night. DC Council members Tommy Wells and Jack Evans, as well as Rev. Graylan Hagler of Plymouth Congregational Church were among those...
more...

Nov 20, 2013Petition Launched to "Save the Labor College"
A petition to save the National Labor College has generated support from
nearly 1,000 people less than a week after the College announced that it’s
closing its doors ( National Labor College Closing 11/14 UC). “The long-term
growth opportunity of the college rests in the...
more...

Nov 20, 2013Drivers Detail Exploitation at Metro Council Meeting
“Supporting struggles like these are why we’re in the labor movement,” declared
an emotional Gino Renne at Monday’s Metro Washington Council delegate’s
meeting. The president of MCGEO/UFCW 1994 (left)
explained that his own family, which emigrated from Italy in the 1950’s,...
more...

Nov 20, 2013WHUT-TV Workers Ratify New Contract After 18-Month Battle
NABET-CWA Local
31’s four-person bargaining unit voted last week to ratify a new contract at
WHUT-TV. The settlement came after the NLRB advised the union in late September
that they were going to issue a complaint supporting their Unfair Labor
Practice charge “over the surface...
more...

Nov 20, 2013Labor In The News: Can Damon Silvers save organized labor?
“Damon
Silvers still remembers the pickles,” writes Lydia DePillis in a November 18 Washington Post profile of the AFL-CIO policy director. “In
2011, at a roundtable discussion in Durham, N.C., the President’s Council on
Jobs and Competitiveness showcased biotech firms that...
more...

Nov 20, 2013Metro Council Endorses "Fast for Families"
The Metro Washington Council on
Monday night endorsed the fast for immigration reform that launched on November
12th in front of the U.S. Capitol. In a related action today, hundreds will
walk from Arlington to the U.S. Capitol, "Crossing the Bridge for
Immigration Reform", gathering at 9a...
more...

Nov 18, 2013In Memoriam: AFSCME Council 20's James Ivey
Mourning the recent passing of AFSCME District Council 20 President James Ivey (far left in photo) , Council 20 Executive Director Geo T. Johnson called Ivey a “gentle giant who was truly a man amongst men in the labor movement.” "James was a committed trades unionist who was devoted to the...
more...

Nov 15, 20132014 UCS Catalog Offers Books for Union Activists, Leaders
The 2014 edition of the UCS Labor Books Catalog has just been released, offering scores of classic and new titles on topics ranging from negotiating and grievance handling to organizing, health and safety, labor law and labor history. It includes many worker-friendly fiction, young adult...
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Nov 15, 2013Organizing Institute To Hold 3-Day Training for Young Union Members
The AFL-CIO Organizing Institute will be holding a “3-Day Training for Young Union Members” in Washington, DC on December 6 - 8. Participants will learn one-on-one communication skills, identifying and developing workplace leaders and the basic elements of an internal and external...
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Nov 15, 2013Low-Wage Workers Still Feeling Effects Of Shutdown
Workers who labor as janitors, security guards, food-service workers and in other similar positions at federal buildings took a big financial hit during the recent government shutdown, reports Luz Lazo in the Washington Post . “Those three weeks of work lost are $1,600 that we don’t have...
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Nov 14, 2013National Labor College Closing
The National Labor College is closing. “The College has been facing significant financial difficulties and the Board reluctantly decided to accept the inevitability of our closure,” said NLC President Paula Peinovich in a November 13 letter. “We do not have a specific date for closure yet...
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Nov 13, 2013Labor Helps "Take a Veteran to School"
Metro Washington Council Metro president Joslyn Williams helped the AFT kick off Veteran’s Day weekend on Friday, November 8 at event at Ann Beers Elementary School in Washington, D.C., that included presentations by James Gilbert, director of the AFL-CIO’s Union Veteran’s Council and a...
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Nov 13, 2013MD/DC AFL-CIO Endorses CWA's Jimmy Tarlau for MD State Delegate
Long-time union activist Jimmy Tarlau – a Metro Washington Council Executive Board member – was endorsed by the Maryland AFL-CIO at its annual convention last month. Tarlau, who is the Assistant to the Vice President of CWA, is running for the open seat in District 47A which is being...
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Nov 13, 2013UFCW 400 Members Authorize Strikes Against Giant & Safeway
Fired up about management intransigence at the bargaining table, members of United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 400 on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to authorize strikes against Giant and Safeway. Their current contract originally expired on October 31st, was extended for two...
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Nov 13, 2013DC Administrative Law Judge Organizing Gets Boost from Ruling
City administrative law judges (ALJs) seeking to organize ( D.C. Administrative Law Judges Organize 4/4/2013 UC) got a boost last week when a hearing examiner ruled in their favor, saying that “there is no conflict of interest, appearance of a conflict of interest or impropriety...
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Nov 12, 2013DC Taxi Drivers File Lawsuit, Demand Apology
The Teamster-affiliated Washington, D.C. Taxi Operators Association last week filed a lawsuit demanding that the District stop towing and impounding taxis and issuing fines to drivers who have been unable to install new dome lights or credit card machines. They also demanded an apology from DC...
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Nov 12, 2013Workers Rally for Minimum Wage Increase & Paid Sick Days
DC low-wage workers and supporters on Friday rallied in Freedom Plaza to call on the DC Council to pass a comprehensive bill that will raise the minimum wage to $12.50 an hour, raise the tipped minimum wage, and expand DC’s paid sick days law to cover all workers. They also delivered testimony...
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Nov 12, 2013"Scrooge Of The Year" Nominations Due
It's probably not an honor that the winner proudly displays on their office wall, but it's one that's well-earned just the same. That's right, it's time to nominate candidates for DC Jobs with Justice's 2013 “Scrooge of the Year.” Qualifications for nomination include "greed, injustice and...
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